Like When Autumn Leaves
by demonsweat
Summary: A family divided, a world in despair.  When a face from the past returns unexpectedly, the brothers find themselves thinking of days they'd thought long gone.  Is there any hope left for them in this world torn apart by war?  SAINW
1. Chapter 01

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

_The TMNT and TMNT universe is property of Nickelodeon/Viacom Entertainment, based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The character of Taylor is property of DeviantArt user **itachisgirl303** (see link below). The story is non-profit and for the fans._

_**http:/itachisgirl303[DOT]deviantart[DOT]com**_

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><p><strong>Warnings:<strong>

_Rated T for mild language, violence, alcohol use_

**Genres:**

_Action, Drama, Angst, AU (SAINW)_

**A/N:**

_This is a story I wrote for the 2011 TMNT Secret Santa group on deviantArt. My recipient requested two things, one, that the fic feature some "family moments" and two, that it featured her OC, a teenage girl with various superpowers by the name of Taylor… who just happens to be the adoptive sister of the ninja turtles. Now don't hit that back button yet! Haha… I know this sort of thing turns many people off, but the truth is, Taylor is not a bad character at all, and I think she worked out quite well in this story. It was definitely a challenge for me because truthfully, she doesn't really jive with the types of characters I normally write. But as I went along with this, I found that I really enjoyed her and I especially enjoyed having her there as someone for the guys to play off of._

_This story is set in the SAINW universe because again, it was something I knew that my SS recipient was a fan of (and I am an enormous fan of) and I knew it would satisfy the more darker elements that often show up in my fics. If you're a fan of SAINW, give it a chance. I tried to do a lot of service towards that element as well, filling in a few holes and answering questions that weren't answered in the show. It is my favorite episode of the 2k3 series. What can I say, I'm a sucker for anything dismally societal or political; dystopian, post-apocalyptic, tales of revolution/rebellion etc._

_Enjoy, and thanks for reading!_

_- ds_

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><p>.<p>

**Like When Autumn Leaves**

by demonsweat

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><strong>

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><p><strong>-chapter 01-<strong>

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><p>.<p>

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><strong>

She awoke in the dark, but not in completely unfamiliar territory. She wasn't afraid because she knew this place. It was home.

Or close to home, at least. As Taylor blinked back the grogginess, it was obvious that she was in the sewers, the sound (and smell) enough to give her that familiar feeling, even if her eyes were taking their time to adjust. She sat up slowly, stretching and working out the kinks. It felt like she'd been lying on the hard stone for some time. Strange enough on its own, but even as things came more into focus, she couldn't determine exactly which tunnel this was, or how far she might be from the lair.

She stood, shivering a little at the chill in the air. She was dressed lightly, in her usual training gear it seemed, long black pants and halter top. That meant training, or maybe fighting. Was that what had happened? Maybe she'd been knocked out, she couldn't remember. She felt her head and around her body, looking for mysterious injury but as far as she could tell, she felt fine. And if it had been a fight, then where were her brothers?

She reached for her phone but found it missing. She crouched, feeling along the ground and thinking perhaps she'd dropped it, but again there was nothing there. With no other options, Taylor began to feel her way along the sewer wall, heading for a small bit of light in the distance. Maybe this was some elaborate prank of Mikey's? Maybe, but it didn't feel like a joke. She told herself not to worry just yet, she'd sort this all out once she was topside.

When she pulled back the manhole cover, she could see that it was nighttime, the light offered through the small holes in the iron lid coming from a single, cracked street lamp above. She pulled herself up with ease, taking in the area around her. It looked like she'd surfaced in some sort of construction area filled with junk; an industrial scrapyard, perhaps. As Taylor walked past the large piles of scrap metal, buildings crept into view, but none she immediately recognized. In the distance, she could hear a low humming sound, above but faint, as if it were coming from somewhere far away. Finally she spied what looked like the exit to this place and she headed for it, making her way onto the street. There, she froze.

Something wasn't right. This didn't look like New York City. Where was she?

Two figures, just across the street, turned suddenly in her direction. They were dressed strange, head to toe in long black coats, heavy boots and wearing gas masks. Her first thought was that they were in costume for something, a themed party perhaps. Until her mind registered the guns they were carrying. Not props, yet not any type of gun she'd ever seen before.

Without hesitation, the two began walking straight at her. Taylor took a step back. "Stop, citizen!" one of them spoke, holding up a hand. As menacing as they looked, he at least sounded official. She attempted to ask them for help.

"E-excuse me? I'm not sure where I am -"

Closing the gap between them, the one that had spoken loomed over the top of the young girl. "Present RF chip for scanning," he said. He held out a small device.

"What?"

"Present RF chip! Now!"

Unable to process what he was asking for, she just looked at him dumbfounded. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her roughly by the arm, twisting it until her wrist was exposed. He ran the device over the top of it. After moving it back and forth a few times, the man turned to his companion. "I'm not getting a read. We'll have to run this one in." The other masked man, standing close by, raised his gun. That's when she saw it. Around each man's bicep was a strip of red cloth, emblazoned with the symbol of the Foot.

Taylor gasped. She didn't understand what was going on here, but knew one thing – these men were her enemies.

With inhuman speed, she reached out and grabbed the barrels of each weapon. These didn't fire bullets, she knew that at a glance, even if her powers hadn't allowed for that knowledge the second she touched the metal. Instead, she sent a shock through the weapons, frying the power sources on each. The men cried out, trying to fire, but the guns were useless. She didn't wait for them to recover. While they were stunned, she brought her hands around, palms outwards now, and pushed a large, telekinetic blast towards the men themselves, sending them backwards and sailing through the air. She turned and ran, tearing down the street and towards what she could see was a darker, more shrouded area. Better to get into the shadows, she thought. Maybe she could make her way back into the sewers from there.

As she sprinted, she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Who were those men, could they really be with the Foot? And what was this place? Maybe they'd kidnapped her and brought her here?

There wasn't time to try and figure it out. She rounded a bend, past the chunks of concrete and gutted cars littering the street and saw safety ahead – a dark stretch of road where the lights had long since been broken or given out. She pushed forward to it, intent on getting hidden. Before she made it, the world exploded in light. Light everywhere, coming from above. She looked up, trying to shield her face, but was blinded by it. That humming sound was deafening now and it was obvious that some sort of aircraft must be the perpetrator. Before she could make enough sense of it to run, she caught the silhouettes of men dropping down on lines from above, descending on her position.

Her legs finally caught up with her and Taylor started running again, back in the direction she'd come. But it was too late. The street was blocked by a dozen or more of those same soldiers, the ones in the black coats and masks. They didn't even look human. They might not be, for all she knew; there wasn't enough of them showing in order to tell and if she hadn't heard the one speak, she might have really believed they weren't. They shouted at her to halt, that she was being arrested. In perfect formation they began to march on her, their guns at the hip and pointing directly at her.

She took a few breaths, trying to calculate her next move. She might be able to blast a few but she wouldn't get them all. And that still left the ones behind. She was trapped. Still, whoever these guys were, they were working for the Foot, and that meant one thing – they weren't getting her without a fight. She raised her hands, readying her attack.

Before she could send the blast however, something incredible happened. As she watched, one of the soldiers fell with a scream, followed by another, and another. Taylor couldn't see the reason why, it was as if some invisible force was attacking them. The rest of the soldiers, finally catching on that something was wrong, turned to face their new attacker. Whatever it was causing it, she didn't want to waste this opportunity. She whipped around in an instant, blasting the foes behind her. Several were knocked off of their feet but the remaining few opened fire. She ducked down, trying to head for cover, getting behind a slab of concrete.

As she pressed her back against the cold stone, she got a look at the first group again and whatever was attacking them. Her breath caught in her throat. It was one of her brothers – Mikey, she thought, but it was hard to tell. He didn't look like himself; he was still wearing orange but the mask was different, it covered the whole head like the ones they'd worn as children. He was wearing strange armor and it looked like he was only using one nunchaku for some reason.

Not by choice. She gasped. _He was missing an arm._ Cut off just above the elbow, Mike's left arm was completely gone.

Michelangelo rolled, ducking the hail of gunfire and letting it rip through the remaining few foes he was engaged with. He got behind his own cover several feet from her; a place from which two small objects came sailing through the air, the resounding explosion seconds later eliminating the last of the men on the ground. Without missing a beat, Mike tore from his hiding place and tossed another two grenades skyward, hitting the aircraft. He turned and grabbed Taylor by the arm and dragged her from the area, shoving her to the ground behind a gutted Buick just before the explosions went off. The searchlight that had been flooding the area immediately winked out and the craft sank to the ground with a fantastic din, rumbling and shifting everything around them.

Having been lying over the top of her and letting his shell take the brunt of the debris, Mike finally sat back and looked at her closely for the first time. There, behind the rusted car, with men dying and bits of aircraft burning all around them, Michelangelo saw the sister he'd thought dead for three decades.

"Oh my god… _Taylor!_? Is it really you_!_?"

She blinked. "M-Mikey? What is this? _What happened to your arm!_?_"_

He didn't reply. All at once, Taylor felt herself pulled into him, pressed so tight it hurt. "I can't believe it," he mumbled, "after all these years…"

Confused, she tried to pull away from him. "I don't understand -"

"We can't stay here," he said, cutting her off. Looking into the sky, he listened for the sound of the drones, gauging the best route to take. "C'mon, I'll take you someplace safe."

The trip back to the hideout passed in a blur. She couldn't believe what she was seeing along the way. The city looked like a warzone; buildings crumbed and fallen into disrepair, citizens (few that there were) dirty and homeless, huddled together for warmth. And the noise of the remote drones and planes overhead, always there, always searching. It was terrifying. She didn't know what had happened, but she knew one thing – this definitely wasn't home.

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><p>~.~<p>

He insisted that she stay silent and watch her movements as they made their way through the maze of underground tunnels. It was too dark to see but he held her hand, leading her to a place she didn't know.

Finally he stopped, mumbling something about it being safe enough. Mike pulled out a small light, shining it over the area in front of them. They were in a subway tunnel, though it didn't look much better than what she'd seen above ground. Several yards ahead, Taylor could see more than one overturned subway car, lying jackknifed and blocking most of the tunnel. Mike led her around the mess, weaving between the cars. There, nestled between them, was a door in the side of the tunnel, one he began pounding on.

A panel slid, and a small window appeared, the light from it shocking even against their small flashlight. A pair of eyes filled the space, looking them over. "I'm waiting," a voice said from the electronic box to the side.

"Your mom barks at midnight. Dude, open up. You know it's me."

The sound of locks shifting could be heard. The door opened a second later, a skinny, ragged man in his mid-thirties there, his face partially obscured by a hooded jacket and scarf. He held a large rifle, not too unlike the ones Taylor had seen the Foot soldiers carrying.

"You could humor me, you know," the hooded man said. Mike stepped in, motioning for Taylor to follow. "Who's the girl?"

"Don't worry about it," Mike said, "she's with me."

"Mike, you know I can't just let her in without clearance -"

"I said she's with me!" Mike snapped at him. He kept walking towards the stairs. Taylor followed and despite her shock at this whole scene, she was also suddenly taken aback by Mike's demeanor. She'd never known Michelangelo to have such a severe tone, he sounded like a different person almost.

"I'm radioing the Commander!" the man called out after them.

"I'm going to see her anyways!" Mike barked again, over his shoulder. He kept going up, with Taylor on his heel. The whole situation only served to fuel her unease, as she wondered where he was leading her.

They wound around several more corridors, Mike nodding and addressing a few more people along the way. Eventually they came to another set of steps, these leading downwards. As they descended, Taylor noticed that the walls around them were becoming more unfinished, looking more cave-like. At the bottom, Mike flipped open a metal box on the wall and hit a switch. The small cavern lit up but was mostly bare, save for a single, metal platform on the end. He told her to watch her footing, and with the press of another button, they began lowering down.

After a few seconds of darkness the makeshift elevator rested itself on the bottom floor, settling in what looked like a subterranean studio apartment; small and a bit claustrophobic, it immediately reminded Taylor of home. So much did it look like the lair, right down to the color of the brick used on the walls. Upon closer inspection, she thought the look wasn't natural; these walls had been stained that way.

She stepped in, taking a closer look. It wasn't just reminiscent of the lair, but Mikey's room even, though something struck her as odd about it right away. Everything here seemed so much more solitary. One chair at the table, one controller stuck in an ancient-looking game device (ancient-looking as in worn and dirty, it wasn't a system she recognized), one set of weights in the corner. It had a tiny kitchen area and bathroom, every comfort their lair had once had. There were colorful posters tacked unevenly to the walls and bits of junk scattered about, books and magazines and even an action figure or two. But if there was one caveat to this idea of solitude, it was the beds. Instead of a single, Mike's room had bunk beds. It seemed a bit strange in contrast to everything else but she didn't think too much on that until later.

For now, she was just taken by the room itself, so familiar, yet so foreign to her. There was no doubt that this was Mikey's living quarters, but how was this possible? Why was he here, why was he living like this? When she turned, he was just standing there, staring at her without a word. So intense, and so not like himself. She felt overwhelmed by it all, so much that she didn't know where to start. Looking him over, she noticed a sizeable gash on Mike's arm.

"Here," she said. "Let me help with that." Placing her hand over the wound, she closed her eyes, concentrating. A light green glow emerged from between her fingers as the cut sealed itself.

Looking down at the place where the wound had been, Mike whispered, "It really is you. Little sister."

She looked at him sadly, touching the metal cap on his stump lightly. They both knew her healing powers were limited, she couldn't regenerate whole limbs. "Mikey what happened to you?"

He grunted, heading for the fridge. "Was about to ask you the same question. You want something? I don't have much, but I got beer." She shook her head. She'd never touched the stuff, and it felt strange for him to even ask. He grabbed one for himself and kicked back the wooden kitchen chair, sitting down in it heavily. He never took his eyes off of her. "Why don't you have a seat." He motioned for the only other one, the bed. "We got a lot to talk about, looks like."

All of the sudden, a crackling sound startled the both of them, coming from a place on the wall. Mike jumped up and hit the intercom there. "Yeah!" he shouted.

"Mikey, Randall said you brought in some unauthorized civilian. Now we talked about this, I'm sure she's really nice, but for the sake of the mission you can't go bringing every one of your girlfriends back here for -"

He pressed the button, cutting her off. "It's not like that Ape. It's - it's Taylor. _I found Taylor."_

There was a long pause on the other end. "Taylor your sister? Are you sure?"

He looked hard at her, like he didn't completely believe his next statement. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll bring her up in a little bit, we need to sort through some stuff first."

"Okay. Just make sure you come see me, before anything else."

"Will do."

He sat back down and cut straight to the point. "Okay. So where've you been all this time?"

She shook her head, confused. "All this time? I – I don't know what you're talking about. The last real thing I remember is, um…" She pressed a hand to her forehead trying to think back. "I think being in the lair… I was heading out for groceries, or something…" She looked back up at him. "I'm not really sure. A little while ago I woke up in the sewers, I don't know where. I came topside and found this," she said, turning a hand upwards and looking around with the same expression of disbelief that had cemented itself to her face since this began. She started to shiver a little. "What is this, what's happened to everything? Did – did the city get nuked, or something?"

Mike just stared at her dumbfounded. He lifted his beer, downing the rest and looking off into space, as if he didn't know what to say. Finally, he asked, "Why were you running from the Foot?"

She told him the obvious answer, that they were the Foot, of course. After he pressed her for details she told him of her encounter with the strangely dressed men, how she didn't recognize them at first, and how the soldier had done something to her arm.

"So you don't have a chip," he said to himself. He stood, going for another beer.

She watched him, unsure of why she was getting the third degree. As uncomfortable as she felt, there was still some solace in the fact that this was her brother. He was definitely Michelangelo, there were little signs everywhere, in the way he talked and his body language, even if he did seem changed (and even if he wasn't a five-foot tall turtle). But he looked so different, she couldn't get over it. Besides the obvious reasons, such as his clothes and missing appendage, he also seemed older to her. Much older. She had so many questions of her own, but she started with the most important one.

"Where are the others?"

Mike sat back down, cracking open the can and taking a long pull from it. "Well, Raph's got a hideout underground, near the East River. These days he mostly runs raids on the shipments coming across from the east end. I haven't seen him in a while. Leo…" He took a breath, letting it out slowly. "I'm not sure where Leo's at right now. He moves around a lot. Last I knew, he was still involved with this shadow group, one that split off from our north side chapter. They've been hitting the armories up there, trying to stop all the weapons coming in. We just heard about one on the feeds last week, they took out a central processing center for the Foot's bioweapon program."

She blinked, her head reeling with the amount of information. "So – wait. Are you telling me you're not together anymore?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd expected Mike to say they were out, that they were away doing something else at the moment, not – whatever that was. Just how much time had passed since she last remembered? Things began to click, the single apartment, Mike living alone – her family, disbanded? She'd lost time somewhere, maybe she'd been drugged or knocked out, kidnapped maybe. It didn't make sense. "Where's Donnie?" she asked, the only question that she could muster.

"Donnie…" He paused, regarding the can for a few moments, before finally taking another drink. "We lost him. After we couldn't find you, he sorta freaked and went looking for you himself. But he never came back. That was almost _thirty years ago."_ He looked up at her suddenly, awe in his voice. "And here you are, not even aged a little bit. You don't look a day over eighteen… just like the day you left."

Her jaw dropped. "Thirty years! It's been _thirty years!_?_"_ He wasn't joking, she could see that. "H-how?"

"I dunno," he said, shaking his head and looking off again. "I don't know. But I'm really glad you're back, Tay. We thought you were dead. I always wondered though. I thought maybe you got taken back to one of those other dimensions, the ones you used to talk about. I didn't – well, I didn't wanna believe what the other guys said, y'know? But after so much time… it's hard not to think the worst." He turned away from her, clearing his throat a little, trying to keep it together. "I'm… just glad you're back," he said again.

Thirty years. She just couldn't comprehend it. But if anything pulled her back to reality, it was the way Mike was acting. There was something about him, the desperation in his voice; it was a little bit of the Mike she remembered seeping through. If what he was telling her was true, then it certainly answered a lot of questions about why everything, including her own brother, seemed so different to her. She looked at him, trying to understand that this was Mike, thirty years older. Changed, but again, evidence of the old Mike was there, right down to the very room they were sitting in; so much a throwback to the old days, yet so uncharacteristically cut off from everything else.

She paused, bracing herself for the answer to her next question. "What about Sensei?"

Mike's expression was enough to tell her. She couldn't hold it back anymore at that. The tears spilled over, fast and hard. Mike told her, "He went out protecting us. He always believed you were still alive. Donnie, too."

Deep sobs tore from inside her. It was all too much to take. Somehow, thirty years had passed, leaving her behind. Her brothers separated and missing. And her father, gone. She'd never had a normal life, never known the love of parents or siblings. Not until she'd met her adoptive ones. And strange as they were, they were every bit the family she'd always hoped for. The old rat had been nothing but kind towards her, taking her in and showing her every bit of attention, even training her alongside his sons. Her heart broke for him; her father, her sensei, whom she loved.

Mike seemed to think about it for a second, then finally stood and came over to the bed, sitting beside her. He didn't have any words for her. It was too weird, all around. Weird that she'd just show up out of the blue like this, but having to break all of this news to her was almost too much for _him_ to handle. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her have it out and thinking back, thinking over times he hadn't thought about in many, many years.

As she started to calm down, she said, "I – I need to see the others. Leo and Raph – I want to see them."

Mike nodded. "Okay. There's ways. I can track 'em down. I know they're gonna wanna see you, for sure." He stalled there a second, not sure of himself, but pulled her in suddenly, hugging her tight with the same intensity as their first encounter. He laid a hand on her head, letting her nuzzle beneath his chin. "Little sister," he said. "This is crazy. I can't believe you really came back to us."

After a few moments Mike regained his composure a little. He sat back, looking her over. "C'mon," he said, squeezing her arm a little. "We gotta go upstairs and see April, so she knows you're not a spy or anything."

"April? _Our April?_ She's here?"

"Yeah." Mike grunted a small laugh. "That was her on the intercom, I guess you didn't recognize her. She uh, looks a lot different than you'd remember, too. Lots more wrinkles and grey hair. But don't say anything about it or she'll get pissed."

They headed up after that. Taylor was still in a reasonable amount of shock at the whole experience, but found herself adjusting. At the very least, she felt fortunate that she'd encountered one of her brothers. The thought that she might have awoken in this nightmarish world alone and unprepared made her feel nauseous. But things had turned out well, considering. And she had Michelangelo to thank for that.

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	2. Chapter 02

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><p><strong>-chapter 02-<strong>

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April had been skeptical, as was her nature these days. As head of the South Manhattan (and therefore biggest) chapter of the resistance movement, she'd encountered plenty of reasons to be untrustworthy over the years. But Mike's insistence, no matter how implausible it seemed, eventually won her over. Apparently their long-lost sister had returned, unscathed and _un-aged, _if it could be believed. And though she might be wary of many things, April knew to trust her gut instinct. There was something about this girl, something real; it sunk its fingers into her and took her back to those days when things had been so much easier. But even the effect it was having on Mikey was almost reason enough to go along with it. Though his demeanor may have seemed unchanged to the casual observer, April knew him too well. She hadn't seen him this happy in years.

They talked for a long time, much of it cluing Taylor in to exactly what had happened in her absence. War and famine, people imprisoned without trial, a police state that seemed like something out of a horrifying, futuristic movie. Incredibly, impossibly, the Shredder had gained total control, his Foot soldiers now the only military force. It seemed hopeless, the might of the Foot too strong against what was left of the people. But it wasn't all bad. They also told her other things, tales of rebellion and people rising up. Revolution fought on the streets. And they continued to fight, Mikey and April devoting their very lives to it, in order to reclaim their freedom from the Foot's oppressive rule.

April asked a good many questions of Taylor as well, but she went easy, understanding that the girl must've been through some sort of trauma to get here in the first place. Taylor's confusion and shock at being thrown into this world seemed genuine enough, and should her story be believed, she was certainly deserving of sympathy. Eventually April was satisfied enough and the conversation got on to locating the other turtles. Mike knew how to find Raph, but Leo was going to be the tough one. "But I'll be able to find him," April said. "Mike knows, I try to stay on top of what the 'hawks are up to. Communication is key, in winning this war. After all, if we don't talk with each other, then we run the risk of stepping on each other's toes."

"Hawks?" Taylor asked. "What's that?"

"Nighthawks," April answered with a laugh. "That's what they call themselves, Leo's little group. I usually listen in on their operations, so I can stay in the loop."

"Oh!" Taylor gasped. "So you _do _keep in touch with Leo, then?" For some reason, it was a comforting thought to her. Mike hadn't sounded like he had much info on their oldest brother, but maybe that was only because he counted on April to keep track of him. It meant that they were still connected, at least.

"Well, _I_ don't," she admitted. "But I know the guy that does. He runs the base of operations for the Nighthawks. He keeps me up-to-date, with Leo's blessing, of course." She smiled. "I don't _see_ Leo very much, but I hear a lot about what he's up to."

"So… how does it work? I'm sorry, this is all very new to me."

"Oh that's okay, sweetie, don't you worry." She smiled, touching Taylor on the arm. It was strange, seeing April so old now, so different in looks but also in her mannerisms. She still seemed like the same tough, take-no-nonsense type of woman Taylor had known, but there was something almost motherlyabout her now. Maybe it came with age. "Basically, we get this feed - here, let me pull it up." April pulled out a small device with a screen. "Of course we get the main feed, which is the news. But that's all Foot operated. Our lines," she said, pausing to touch the screen in several places, "are hidden. Here." She pulled up the right one, showing it off. "It's static now, but when Owen – that's my Nighthawk contact – is online, this is the channel he'll use."

"So, how do you know when he'll be on?"

"We communicate ahead of time. For security reasons, he doesn't tell me what the plan is or where they'll be. He just gives me a time and date to sign on. See, Owen stays at the base, but he's got an earpiece that connects to the operatives. So it's almost like he's right there with them. And he transcribes what's going on to me, in real time."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!"

April laughed. "Well yes – I guess it is. We change the channel every few weeks or so, and so far the Foot haven't caught on. The 'hawks have nailed quite a few big places." She got quiet there for a moment, thinking. "They're starting to get noticed. I worry about the backlash, sometimes." She brightened up again, catching herself. "But with Leo on the team, there's little to worry about."

"Ape," Mike said, "Will you tell 'em to have Leo come here? Don't tell 'em why though." He looked at his sister, still hardly believing that she was standing there himself. "I think we should maybe tell him in person."

She nodded. "I'll pass it on. Might take a couple of days, though."

"Alright." he said to his sister, "I guess we'll go see Raph in the meantime."

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><p>~.~<p>

Mike told her to stay a few steps behind, just in case. Raphael usually had a warning system in place, but Mike hadn't been here in a long time, and wasn't sure if things had changed. But Raph was always a wild card anyways. You never knew if he might just get drunk one night and set up remote mines all over the place.

Mike tapped the button several times, listening close to see if the thing was even working. There was no buzz or electrical sound as he pushed it, so he figured the intercom system was a lost cause. Still, he tried. "Hey Raph!" he shouted, hoping it might reach through the wall, even if the box was busted. "Hey, it's me, Mike! Open up, it's important!"

He waited a few seconds, but with no answer Mike started beating on the wooden planks in front of him, the light from the small flashlight in his hand wavering with each vibration. They were deep underground, having traversed through several subway tunnels and winding around so many that Taylor had no clue where they were, or how to get back for that matter. Typical, she supposed, when you wanted to locate a ninja. Mike continued to hammer on the worn sheets of plywood, Raph's so-called "door". "Raph!" he yelled. "C'mon dude, I mean it! Open the door!"

Finally, there was noise from inside. They could hear some things shifting around, followed by footsteps and someone grumbling unintelligible words, getting louder as the one on the other side approached. All at once, one of the plywood sheets slid to the side with a loud _bang._ Filling the doorway in its place was Raphael, with a look that said he wasn't too keen on being bothered right at that moment.

"Jeez Raph," Mike said, turning his head. "You really need to air this place out once in a while."

"Yeah well I wasn't exactly expectin' guests," he shot back. "Whattaya want, anyways?"

"Nice to see you too." Mike stepped aside, revealing her. "I brought you a surprise."

There she was, standing washed in the dim light coming from Raph's home. She smiled, but it wasn't easy. Like Michelangelo, Raphael looked drastically changed, and not at all for the better. He was bigger, beefier, but covered in many more scars than she remembered. He wore a tan aviator's type of jacket with his sais tucked in his belt, his weapons unchanged at least in the way he always wore them. But the most profound physical difference was on his face, where she could see that his mask was stitched over one eye. They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, before Raph finally broke it.

"I don't believe it."

He stepped forward and reached out, gripping her lightly by the chin and turning her face, inspecting her. He started to laugh a little in disbelief. "You're real. An' still as pretty as ya ever were."

With a sad smile, she said, "Wish I could say the same."

They embraced. She was suddenly gripped by that sensation again, the one she'd gotten when Mike did the same thing. There was something so wholly desperate in the way that he squeezed her, as tight as he could without hurting, letting her know exactly how much her sudden presence meant to them. It felt good, but again, her heart broke at the years they'd been apart, at the years they'd been doing all of this, and how much her brothers must have suffered in that time.

They entered into Raphael's place and filled him in as much as they could, but there wasn't a lot to tell beyond their initial encounter. Taylor still had no idea why she'd lost thirty years. But her life had always been somewhat of a mystery. How she'd come to have her unique abilities and the worlds she'd traveled prior to being taken in by her adoptive family was quite the fantastic story in and of itself. When she'd finally settled down on Earth with her new brothers and father, she'd felt at home for the first time. And now here she was, cheated, that life having been snatched away from her with no explanation.

As the three of them talked, they tossed around a few theories, but nothing really seemed to stick. "Maybe ya don't age?" Raph suggested.

She shrugged. "I did before. I mean, I remember growing up to my um, current state."

"Well, maybe ya stopped aging. Or what?" He turned to Mike. "What're we lookin' at here? Time travel or somethin'?"

"Don't ask me," Mike said. He thought that Donatello would've been able to figure this out, that Donnie would've had _some_ explanation. But he didn't share those thoughts. Instead, he went to the refrigerator, a small compact one that would've been more at home in a college dorm. It was plugged into a generator that looked, much like everything in Raph's place, to be on its last leg. Mike grabbed a couple of cans, tossing one to his brother.

Raphael raised a hand, catching the beer in the air without looking. "Well, whatever. I seen enough crazy shit over the years to pretty much believe anything." He cracked open the can and took a long drink, looking at her with sudden intensity. "All that matters is that we got ya back."

"Real question is," Mike added, "what do we do now?" He turned towards Taylor. "I mean, the safest place for you is back at the base, probably. You can crash with me until we set you up. There's barracks, or you could stay with April, if you're more comfortable with her. I know she won't mind." He looked down. "Or, y'know. You could just stay with me, I don't mind either."

"Whattaya crazy?" Raph said. "She oughta get outta the city. This place is a goddamn lost cause."

"Dude, where's she gonna go? It's just as bad out there, and she doesn't know anyone. She needs to stay close to us, to family -"

"Ain't no family," Raph spit. "I dunno how long you and April think you guys are gonna last over there, but it's stupid to put Taylor right in the middle of this bullshit. You gonna keep her right in one of the places the Foot are looking for? Mikey, I swear you never use your frickin' head. And another thing -"

"You guys!" Taylor cut in. "Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here? I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying here with you! As for what I'm going to do… well, I'm not sure yet. I can barely make sense of all this." She thought for a moment. "The next thing I'm going to do is go see Leo."

Raphael stiffened up. Right away Mike groaned, covering his face with his palm.

Sure enough, a string of very colorful language erupted from Raphael's mouth, all directed at their former leader. It so surprised their sister that she didn't know what to say. She just looked at Mike for help, but even if he'd had anything to offer, he wouldn't have bothered. It was the same old tirade, over events so many years gone that there was nothing to be done now.

After several minutes, it didn't look like Raph was going to slow down. "We should probably go," Mike said to her. He stood up.

"Wait." Taylor stood herself, facing Raph.

He tried to cut her off at the pass. "Don't gimme those eyes. You don't know what's happened in all the time you been gone!"

"Okay, maybe you're right. But forget all that for now, that's not was I was going to say." She pleaded with him. "Raph, you can't keep living like this. Just look at this place." She glanced around, taking it in. Raphael was living pretty rough down here; bare mattress on the floor, almost no furniture, jugs of water in the corner. She wasn't even sure if he had plumbing. It was freezing, and dark, but above all else it just seemed so _lonely._ Raph's nature dictated that he was always a bit of a loner, not to mention a little on the self-destructive side. There was no way he was enjoying living like this and she thought she knew why he was doing it. But it wasn't healthy and she worried for him, just like she always had back in the days before when he would run off and pick fights with the Foot on his own, knowing he was going to come back injured or half-dead, assuming he came back at all.

"You could come back with us. Stay at the base. You and Mikey don't… hate each other, right?" She shrugged, looking at Mike again for help.

He scoffed, "Ain't no place for me there. I ain't gonna bunk down in no commune with a buncha other grunts."

Without looking up, Mike said, "If you wanna stay with me, offer's still on the table. I been thinking about knocking out a wall down there anyways, it's getting kinda cramped. That way Taylor could stay, too."

Raphael seemed to consider it for a second. "Yeah, well – I dunno. Whatever. Just forget it." He turned from them, pacing a few steps. "I been here so long I don't know any different. And y'know, this is a good spot, close to the other guys. Makes it easy to hook up and stay on top of the shipments comin' over." He paused, looking over at the young girl, his sister from another life. "But uh… I'll come visit, maybe."

Taylor didn't know what she'd hoped for when they'd come here. She hadn't thought much beyond just finding Raph and seeing him. But the look on her face now, the disappointment there was too much for Raphael to take. So many years gone, and she swept back in here as though nothing had changed. He excused himself, saying he needed to sleep but it was an obvious lie. Nevertheless, Mike and Taylor headed out, back to the base and what Taylor was coming to realize was now "home".

~.~

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><p>~.~<p>

On the way back through the tunnels, Taylor thought over the events at Raphael's place. It didn't feel real to her. Raph had sounded so bitter, so full of hatred. He and Leo had always had their problems, but she never could have guessed it would come to this. She looked up at Mike, a few steps ahead. Even he was so changed, she hadn't even seen him so much as crack a smile since she'd returned. Leo leading a different team, Donnie missing… her father dead. People suffering all around them. The world looked grey all around her, even colors seemed faded here.

As soon as they were topside, Mike had her stay back a moment while he scouted ahead. After a few tense moments he returned and they started off again. Until she saw it, that was.

She stopped, shivering in the wind and looking at the tree. It was a gorgeous oak of thick, gnarly branches and easily thirty feet or higher above her head. The air had been chilly but she hadn't even spared a thought towards what season it might be. This was the first real tree she'd seen yet. As Taylor watched, several of the leaves swept off with the wind, away from those colored brilliant in oranges and yellows and browns. It was autumn in New York, her favorite time of year, and she hadn't even known it.

Mike turned, noticing that she wasn't a step behind. "Tay? We gotta keep moving – hey, what's the matter?"

She didn't answer him. She stood, transfixed, watching as a few more leaves fell; dead and withered they joined the thick pile amongst the others gathered around the trunk. So many dead, so many lost.

Her mouth opened to speak, but no words would come. A single tear fell down her cheek. Mike stepped back towards her, urging her. "Sis, we can't stay here." He took her gently by the arm. "C'mon."

She took just a moment more to stare at the oak, before obliging him.

~.~

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><p>~.~<p>

The next morning Taylor awoke to the sound of the intercom. It was loud, startling her awake. Mike was there in an instant. "Yeah?" he spoke into the box.

The static crackled, but the voice inside was clear. "You guys better come upstairs, there's someone here to see you."

Taylor jumped down from the top bunk. "Do you think it's Leo?" she asked hopefully. Mike nodded, there was really no one else it could be, though he was impressed that April had been able to locate their oldest brother so quickly. Taylor could barely contain her excitement as they rode the elevator up. But once they arrived at April's quarters, they were met with a surprise.

There was indeed a mutant turtle there, but it wasn't Leo. Raphael turned to face them, with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Raph! What are you doing here?" Mike asked, not understanding at first.

"Hey," he greeted them. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, uh… so I got to thinkin' about it and I figured it didn't make sense to go back an' forth… an' I didn't want Taylor to try comin' all the way down to see me." He scratched at the back of his head. "So… if the offer's still open I uh, think I might take ya up on crashin' here for a while."

At that, the most amazing thing happened. Not quite as surprising to Taylor, but April and Raphael both nearly fell over in shock at the sight. Michelangelo, for the first time in years, actually grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah! Yeah, totally! Okay, so let's see… uh, Tay's on the top bunk but I got a hammock we can set up for now. And I'm serious about knocking down the wall, I mean, I got my back entrance out there now y'know, it's just a hole big enough to crawl though, but we could widen it up to get furniture in. There's a whole big space back there, another tunnel. Oh! We're gonna have to get some things though, some grub definitely, I'm just about outta food – and the heaters been on the fritz, but I can get some more blankets and stuff…"

He rambled on about the specifics for a little while longer. Raphael shared a look with April at his expense, but the smile on her face was enough. April couldn't be more thrilled that Raph had finally decided to come stay, it was something they'd discussed many times in the past but he'd never taken them up on it. As they turned to leave, April beckoned Taylor over and gave her a hug. "Thank you so much for coming back," she whispered to her.

They spent the next few days settling Raphael in. There were some minor arguments over the idea of expanding the place and how structurally sound Mike's living quarters actually were. Mike insisted that they could bust out part of the wall without problem, but Raph wasn't so sure. It was decided in the end that the three of them would just cram together until they could get someone with more expertise to give them a hand. April told them she could have a person from their construction crew take a look in the following week, so they'd have to make do until then. It brought to mind the guy who used to oversee these things, the one that had built and fixed and engineered everything they'd ever had. But of course no one brought him up, it was too painful a subject to mention out loud.

As the days progressed, Taylor finally began to feel like things were at least approaching normal. Mike took her and Raph around the base, introducing them to several people and getting them familiar with their new surroundings. And the way that Raph and Mike were getting along and joking with each other (and even the way they bickered at times) was enough to remind her of the life she'd left behind. It felt good, but she still found herself longing for what was missing.

One night, as they sat around Mike's television furiously tapping away at the now _two_ game controllers (though Mike promised he'd procure a third by the end of the week), the subject of work came up. Raph, despite his move, still meant to keep on with overseeing the Eastern front, and mentioned a tip they'd gotten over an incoming shipment.

"Supposed to be a big one comin' in a few weeks, full a weapons. Intel says there might be a drone or two, and you know we could really use that tech. We're hopin' to get one intact if we can." He looked at his brother. "So whaddaya say?"

Mike nodded. "I'm in."

"I want in too," Taylor piped up. Pausing the game, the two brothers turned to look at her. "I know what you guys said, I know you're trying to protect me. But what am I supposed to do, just sit around here all day? I was trained to fight, just like you. I want to help."

They looked at each other, considering it. "Welp," Raph finally said, "I can see you're gonna be stubborn about this, but let's make a deal. It's too soon for you to take on an ambush - ya ain't been here long enough and ya don't know what you're up against. But we can start takin' ya out. We'll go on runs, hit small places, teach ya a few tricks." He looked at Mike, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay," she said, smiling. "Deal." The idea of going out on runs with the two of them gave her a good feeling, and not just for her own sake. When she and Mike had first come to see Raph, there was obvious tension between the two, but you wouldn't know it now. She suddenly realized something, looking across the small room. She'd thought it odd that Mike lived alone, yet had two beds here. Now it was so obvious why.

Her thoughts were soon shattered by what was becoming an all too familiar sound. Suddenly, the noise from Mike's intercom shot through the room once again. _"Mike, Code four! Get up here now!"_

"Shit!" Mike cursed, leaping to his feet and throwing the controller to the floor. He hit the button immediately. "On our way!"

The ladder was faster, so he headed up first with the others in tow. Raphael asked the question on both of their minds. "Mikey, what the hell – what's goin' on_!_?"

"Dunno," he called down to them, "but it's serious whatever it is!" When they reached the top, Mike looked around a second, confused. "Alarms aren't goin' off," he said. "Can't be an attack on the base. Doesn't make sense..." He didn't want to waste time though. He led them upstairs to April's command center to find out.

They burst into the main room. April was right there, ready to greet them. "Guys, it's Leo, he's in trouble!"

"Leo_!_? What are you talking about?" Mike asked her.

She took a breath. Holding up the communication device she'd shown to Taylor before, she began. "The 'hawks – they were hitting a place on the Waterfront when all hell broke loose. They're pulling out – _but Leo's not with them!"_

"Whoa, whoa – slow down!" Raph broke in. "Whattaya mean he's not with 'em?"

"Look," she said, showing him the transcript, "here. There was an explosion, I think he's trapped. But he was conscious – he ordered the others out of there. From what Owen's telling me they think he's alive but they can't get to him! They already lost several men. Hold on…" She paused, putting a hand up to her ear. "Feed's coming in – the Foot are on their way! I can send a patrol off to slow them down, but you guys need to get to Leo and get him out of there!"

She ran to a device on the wall. "Squad twelve to operations, now! We're at Code Four! I repeat, _Code Four!" _She turned back to the others. "Mike, I'm sending Leo's location to you now. I'll update you with any info I get. All I know is that they were on the second floor when everything blew. You might need to dig to get to him. I'd hit armory and get some gear, just in case."

"Got it." Mike tore off down the hall, the others right behind. He threw open a door and grabbed a canvas bag from inside, tossing in various weapons and items. When he looked up, he saw her and realized that Taylor was still with them. "Tay, you need to hang back, let me and Raph handle this."

"No way!" she protested. "Especially if he's hurt, you're going to need me!"

There was no time to argue. Slinging the pack over his head, Mike raced out the door. "Okay, just be careful! Raph, keep an eye on her!"

"Already ahead of ya," he said, giving her a look. "So much for trainin'. Guess you're about to get your first lesson."

"Best way to learn," she shot back at him, trying to sound confident. In reality she was terrified. She had no idea what they were about to find, but she knew one thing: they weren't coming back without Leo, even if it meant carrying his body out of there. In her head, she prayed that that wouldn't be the case.

.

.

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	3. Chapter 03

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><p><strong>-chapter 03-<strong>

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><p>.<p>

.**  
><strong>

"Okay," Mike said, turning to them. "We got drones, but it doesn't look like ground forces are here yet. Guess April's men are on it. That's the place." He pointed at a tall building that looked like it could've been an office at one time. One side of the building had been ripped out from the blast April had spoken of, but only on the bottom three or four stories it looked like. It made the structure appear top-heavy, and at first glance it seemed ready to collapse at any moment. "April said they were on the second floor, so let's get over there and start climbing." He turned towards Taylor, saying more for her benefit, "Gotta stay outta sight as much as possible, so the drones won't pick us up. They got night vision but it's not that good, so just listen for 'em and hide when they get close, got it?"

She nodded. As soon as Mike gave the signal, they sprinted across the street and to the base of the building. As Taylor found out, she didn't really need to watch for the drones after all; her brothers were so on top of it that she found herself just staying close and following their lead. When they got up into the rubble, they began to shout Leo's name. The actual floor of the second landing still looked more or less intact, so they agreed to start there. Climbing up, they continued to shout, but there was no answer.

Mike hung back as lookout while Raphael and Taylor searched. They crept around the graveyard of cubicles and office fare, stepping over last generation (or in Taylor's case, future gen) computers and broken desks, all the while calling Leo's name. It wasn't looking good. It hadn't taken them long to get here but they had little to no idea of what had really happened. April maintained through contact that Leo was still MIA, but that didn't necessarily mean the worst. He could be unconscious, or in custody. He might have escaped and hadn't been able to contact them yet. Taylor approached Raph, about to ask him what they should do, when she heard a noise.

All of the sudden, Raphael whipped around and grabbed his sister, throwing them both to the ground. "Stay quiet," he said. He swore under his breath. "Drone," he whispered to her. "Was inside the goddamn building…"

Taylor held her breath, listening as the sound became louder. It was a dull, whirring hum, almost like the noise she remembered Donatello's main computer (his "fastest rig", according to him) would make. She trembled slightly as it passed right over their heads. It was small and round, like a little UFO from the old black-and-white science fiction movies. She heard Raph curse again. He was looking behind them, in the direction of Mike.

Raphael suddenly reached out and grabbed the nearest item, a small piece of plaster, and chucked it in Mike's direction. It hit him and he turned, but it was too late. Raph had seen Mike bent over with his earpiece in, listening for April's message no doubt. Like Raph, he'd thought them safe enough inside; they hadn't expected a drone to be hiding in the building itself.

A series of clicks came out of the airborne machine and Raph swore again, this time leaping to his feet. He threw a sai, hitting the thing but it was of little use now. Mike looked at the drone, then at Raph with a sorry look. "We don't have a choice," Mike said. "We gotta move!"

"Wait!" Taylor shouted. "Look!"

She took off, running deeper inside with the other two right behind her. There on the ground, barely visible and poking out of a pile of collapsed plaster and steel, was a green, three-fingered hand.

As the rounded the corner, they saw him. Leo was there, on his back and still breathing, but he looked bad. His lower half was buried under a mess of stuff. He was bruised and cut, and one of his arms looked twisted, possibly broken. Immediately, Raphael started giving orders.

"Taylor, you need to be lookout. Get behind cover, don't engage 'em – just let us know if anything big happens, alright?" She nodded, and ran off to where she'd seen Mike holding lookout position earlier. He turned to his brother. "'C'mon, we're gonna get him outta there."

Between the two of them, they were able to move most of the junk off of him, but a large steel girder remained. It was too heavy, even for both Raph and Mike combined. What's worse, they could see blood pooling underneath Leo and it looked to be coming from where he was pinned.

"_Told you guys… told you to head back to base…"_ Leo gasped between breaths. _"Martinez… he's skilled… he can lead you…"_

"Okay, hold up." Mike laid down his pack, reaching inside. He pulled out a small jack. "When April said he might be buried under stuff, I thought we might need this." It took some adjustments but they got it into a position where it seemed like it might work. The jack was old and hand-operated and it took some time, but eventually Mike was able to crank it until it met the top of the girder. At that point, one arm wasn't going to be enough, so Raph took his place. Leo had still been mumbling nonsense throughout so Mike went to him, attempting to calm him down.

"…_brothers… tell my brothers… "_

"It's us, Leo. We're here. Raph's here, he's trying to get you out, just relax."

Leo frowned, taking a few breaths. "M-Mikey?"

"Yeah, it's me. Take it easy, here we go."

With that, Raphael gave it everything he had. The crank shook under the pressure and just when it seemed like it would break, the steel groaned and shifted, finally moving upwards. A few more twists – and things went from bad to worse.

"_Oh shit – Raph!" _

Mike didn't waste time. He grabbed Leo by the armpits and dragged him out from under the junk. As soon as Leo was free, Mike dove to his side, putting a hand down on the wound, trying, but failing, to stop the flow of blood. The girder had apparently been pinching off an artery there, and now that it was free, blood was gushing from Leo's thigh in long, thick spurts.

"You guys… shouldn't have come," Leo said, struggling for the words. "I'm bleeding out..."

Raphael cut him off. "Taylor, get over here! _Now!"_

"Raph…" Leo managed, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry," he blurted, "sorry for everything…"

"Shuddup Fearless," Raph said, turning to his little brother. "Mikey, go take her place!" Raph shoved him aside, placing his own hands down on Leo's leg. Even with both hands it was doing very little; Leo's leg was a mess. He had a gash that cut to the bone and there was already a dangerous amount of blood under him.

She appeared, and right away it was apparent what she was needed for. Now it was Taylor's turn to shove aside Raph. Putting her hands in place of his, she told him, "I need to concentrate! Go help Mikey, he's going to need it!"

Raphael seemed to hesitate a second, then did something a little strange. He leaned over and gripped Leo on the side of his face. With a shaky hand, Leo reached up and grabbed it. "Go on…" Leo said, "do as she says."

Raph disappeared. Taylor breathed deep, focusing all of her effort on Leonardo. She could sense the flesh binding, could feel the veins and pathways cinching together in their rightful places. It was taking too long. She concentrated harder. Shattered bone mended and locked into place, muscle and skin reattached and became smooth once again. In the background, she could hear Leo speaking, but couldn't answer him.

"Must be… must be hallucinating… thought he said _Taylor…"_

Leo blacked out after that. It took several minutes and in that time, Taylor wasn't sure what was happening around them. She was aware of noise, the sounds of shouting, or gunfire, or both. But she couldn't focus on it. She needed every bit of her attention on him.

Finally, after several minutes it was done. Coming out of her trance, Taylor felt for his pulse. It was there, but weak. She shouted for the others. As they neared, she told them, "He's out, but alive. I sealed the wound, but it won't replace the blood he's lost. We need to get him help right away!"

Raphael leaned down and hoisted Leo up and over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Got him, c'mon!"

They ran to the edge of the floor and looked out over the rubble. There were Foot soldiers coming in droves, vans full of them pulling up as they watched. There was covering fire from the east, April's battalion most likely, or perhaps the remaining few of Leo's squad. Unfortunately it was doing little to help their immediate situation. Raph cursed under his breath. "Mikey, you're gonna haveta clear us a path!"

Reaching into his bag, Mike told them, "Get under cover!" Taylor felt herself grabbed roughly as Raphael shoved her behind some junk. As she watched, Mike clicked a button on each device and tossed it, scattering the area below. The ground ruptured with each blast, throwing bodies and debris in all directions. "Let's go!" he shouted.

They made their way downwards as quickly as they could. Through the dust and smoke it was almost impossible to tell what was waiting for them down there. Just as they reached ground level, shots came cutting through, spraying the air all around them. They ducked again, hiding behind whatever they could. Mike tossed a few more grenades but it wasn't enough.

"Mikey, hit 'em with another!" Raph shouted.

"I'm out!" Mike told him. "We gotta fall back, there's no way through!"

With no other option, they headed back into the building, now on ground level but far from being in the clear. With the Foot firing indiscriminately from that direction, it wasn't possible to return the way they'd first come from. Back inside, they were now under cover from fire, but the structure had collapsed enough that there was no visible way of escape from any other direction. They were trapped.

With their backs against the concrete, Mike cursed their luck. "Dammit," he said, breathing heavily, "should've brought more ammo. Didn't think we'd get cornered like this…" He closed his eyes, thinking a second. Turning to his brother for help, he said, "Raph, what do we do_!_?"

Raphael's thoughts raced. Shots pinged all around them, peppering them with bits and shards of the stuff they were striking through. Maybe he could create a distraction. Maybe if he rushed in, it would buy them enough time -

Suddenly, his thoughts were broken by their sister. Something was wrong with her. "Taylor! What's the matter! You alright_!_?"

She was hyperventilating. All at once, the walls all around them began to shake. _"I – I can't – can't controolll it,"_ she wailed, her pupils dilated to the size of quarters.

"Hey, get a hold a yourself!" Raph reached out and grabbed her, shaking her a little. "You're gonna bring the whole damn place down on us!"

He'd forgotten. It had been so long since they'd seen her, let alone fought beside one another. Taylor was especially powerful in a fight but her abilities had a terrible consequence. Under times of great stress they could become unpredictable. She couldn't always stay in control, and there had been a few times in the past where it had come back to bite them. But never so scary as this. Part of the ceiling came down next to them in a fantastic crash, as the building continued to shake and waver. In moments they'd be buried under it.

"Taylor." Mike kneeled in front of her. She was swaying back and forth, moaning a little, seeming like she was in some awful hypnotic state. "Tay, listen to me. Remember your training. Remember Sensei, how he taught you to focus it. We need you right now, sis. You can do this."

She continued to moan, her eyes wild and unseeing. _"Caaan't… control… too much… it's too muuuch…"_

He gripped her arm. "You can! Sensei believed in you, he always knew you would beat this! C'mon Tay, you got this! Now focus and get us out of here!"

Sensing what was coming, Mike backed up and shouted at his brother. "Give her room!"

Raphael did as instructed and just in time. Right at that moment Taylor's body seized up, and with a scream, a mighty psionic blast erupted from her form, blowing out the back of the building in an almost unbelievable display of sheer power. Chunks of the building came away and blew into the city, leveling everything in their path, which conveniently took out the squad of Foot soldiers that had been surrounding that side of the structure. Nothing was spared, not even the drones that had been hovering in the air.

Without hesitation, Mike grabbed Taylor by the arm and half-lifted, half-dragged her out of the newly made opening, even as debris continued to fall down all around them. In the confusion, they managed to reach a manhole close by. They tore through the sewers, not stopping until Raphael finally collapsed from exhaustion, the weight of carrying his brother finally taking its toll. There, in the darkness of the tunnels, they rested just a few moments before making their way back to base.

~.~

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><p>~.~<p>

The base had its own infirmary and it was there that they took Leo. There was no question that he needed blood and Raph was the first to volunteer. While they drew from him, the doctors had a lot of questions for Taylor especially, finding her methods of "healing" just a little bit hard to accept. Eventually, April showed and put everyone's attention off of the poor girl, much to Taylor's relief. The doctors there gave Leo a full examination, proceeding to hook him up to various devices and monitors, injecting him with all sorts of mysterious things, all of which went way over Taylor's (and Mike's for that matter) head. In any case, they seemed confident that Leo would pull through.

Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess we did pretty good," she said.

Still riding the high of battle, Mike grabbed her suddenly in a one-armed hug, lifting her and spinning her around. "We did good - _you_ did good! You did _so_ good. I'm so glad we had you along, sis." He laughed, breaking his hold on her. "I forgot how much you could turn a situation!"

She ran her fingers through her long, ebony hair. "Yeah, almost for the worst, though."

"Don't sweat it," he said, grinning. "You did it! You got it under control. And look how it turned out! The Foot never knew what hit 'em." He laughed again.

That made her smile. It felt good, she had to admit. Not just getting a hold on her own powers, but everything – fighting alongside with her brothers again, nailing the Foot – just seeing Mikey in high spirits again was infectious enough. And bringing back Leo, alive. There had been a few scary moments when she'd been sure they'd lost him, but in the end they'd made it back to base with Leo intact, and she couldn't have hoped for better.

She looked in on Raph then, who was passed out in one of the other beds. The strain of their rescue operation on top of the pints he'd given had eventually done him in. He was on his side, snoring lightly. She smiled, but wondered at them. Would this change things? Even though Raph had shown concern for his estranged brother, she wasn't so sure. She'd know more after talking with Leo, she supposed. She went back to his room to wait.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

It didn't take long for Leo to be back on his feet. Within hours even, he was conscious and reuniting with his sister, a thing so incredible that it almost threatened to knock him back out a second time.

"Taylor." He said her name, but it sounded like such an alien thing. It was a name he hadn't spoken in so many years, just the very sound of it was odd. "I think I must still be out, dreaming."

"It's no dream, big brother." She came to his bedside, taking his hand. Mike had already told her of Leo's handicap but it was shocking to see firsthand. He'd lost his glasses in the battle somewhere, but the milky, dead quality of his eyes, coupled with the fact that he could almost (but not quite) focus on her as she spoke drove it in. His face was scarred terribly, and though she was curious at the story behind it, she couldn't ask him how he'd come to be blind. Either way, it apparently didn't affect his abilities at being a ninja. Mike had told her it was an old injury, many years gone, and if anyone could overcome such a thing, it was Leo.

Leonardo closed his eyes and bowed his head, squeezing her hand tight. A single, silent tear fell down his cheek. He opened his lids again and wiped it away without a word.

Big brother and clan leader. Always the one to be the example, to be so stoic and reserved. It hurt him to be here, in this bed, to be the one on the end of rescue. She knew that, but she also knew that he was humbled at the fact that rescue had come at all. She'd been out of their lives in these many years, but had come to understand a little in her short time back. These were her brothers, and in many ways, they were still the siblings she knew. Some things, she was relieved to learn, never changed.

Taylor leaned in and tackled the bedridden turtle all at once, hugging him. He seemed startled at first, before giving in. And there it was; the squeeze, the warmth and anguish all rolled into one, just as the others had been. She'd been missed terribly, she knew, but not just her. It was for what she represented, those days before all of this madness. It suddenly gave her this feeling of great responsibility, to be this symbol of something they all seemed to hold so dear. She vowed right then, with her oldest and most adept brother in her arms, that she wouldn't let them down.

They talked for a long time. Of course Leonardo asked how Taylor had come to return to them, of which she had little to tell. She diligently related the story to him, but Leo had nothing to offer by way of explanation. He spoke a little of her disappearance, though right away she could tell it was difficult for him, and instead sought to change the subject, asking more about the state of things and how he'd gotten along all these years. She'd had many questions about the nature of the country, the political uprisings and such; ones that the others hadn't cared or known enough about to tell her. Leo answered every one of her questions politely and to the best of his ability. He told her of himself and of the Nighthawks, how he'd recruited some of them and related to her some of their more successful operations. Those tales excited her quite a bit, and for his part, he seemed more than happy to share them with her.

Finally, after several hours of conversation, Taylor mentioned getting back and allowing Leonardo some rest. She gave him a quick once-over then, making sure there wasn't any injury she could help with, feeling his arm over especially. It had broken in three places, she told him, but she'd mended it while he slept. He flexed it, thanking her for that, and of course for her quick work inside, for without her ability, he wouldn't have been lying there at all. Before she took her leave however, she asked him if he remembered much about the actual rescue.

"Yes," he told her. "I remember enough."

His look was enough to tell her that he remembered Raphael being there, and that was the answer she'd been looking for. Instead of pressing him on it though, she asked, "Will you go back, once you're well? You could… stay here with us, you know." She swallowed, choking on the words a little. "You could… come home."

He bowed his head. "I'm sorry. There's no place for me here," he said.

She smiled. "Raph said the same thing. But he's here now."

"You mean, he's living here?"

"Uh-huh. He moved in with me and Mikey, just last week."

Right away, an easy smile crept over their former leader's face. She added, "Mikey says that um, there's plenty of room. It's a little cramped _right now,"_ she said, laughing a little. "But hopefully we're going to expand the place soon."

She didn't wait for him to give her another excuse, instead telling him to get some sleep. She stood, leaning over and giving him one last squeeze, before insisting he not die in the time between their next encounter (which would be soon, she told him, as she meant to check on him the very next morning).

She headed through the compound and back to Mike's place, or rather, the new lair as it was, though it still felt strange to think of it that way. Perhaps it would feel more like home when they weren't all sleeping in the same room together. She stopped at the elevator a moment, tracing the button lightly with the tip of her finger. Who was she kidding. It was never going to feel like home. Not without the others. There was nothing they could do about Donnie and Master Splinter, but maybe if she could at least get Leo and Raph talking again, it would fill some of that hole.

She jammed in the button, listening to the whirrs and creaks of the metal gears working inside. Really, at this point she'd done all she could. The seed had been planted and it would have to be enough. Now it was up to the two of them.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

Taylor was true to her word and had checked in on Leo the very next morning but to her disappointment, she found his bed empty. Disappointed yes, but not really surprised. With a heavy sigh, she left the infirmary to walk and explore a bit. She still hadn't seen many parts of the base; it was actually much larger than it seemed. Though a certain portion of it was largely underground, the base also stretched into several buildings up above, all connected through the use of the underground pathways. Eventually she found herself in the training rooms, watching as some of the soldiers practiced in hand-to-hand and melee techniques. There were some firing ranges on the lower levels, but weapons training was mostly done on bases outside the city, where soldiers were trained in a boot camp style setting. Those armies were at the ready when needed. But here they housed and trained special ops, April had told her, sending in their best on smaller and more precise operations.

As she watched, she longed to train with her brothers, like they used to. Leo or Master Splinter would pair them up for sparring, or the five of them would meet in a free-for-all. That was her favorite, taking on all four of them at once. She'd watch to see where the others would go first; if Leo went after Raph, she knew the two of them would keep each other busy long enough for her to get a few hits on the other two. But she always kept an eye on them. As soon as Leo attacked and Raphael was distracted – there she was, in with the assist, and down Raph would go. Or if it was Leo distracted, vice versa. Not that Mike or Don weren't formidable opponents themselves, but they often made the mistake of facing off with each other, especially in those early days, as they'd been trained. And of course, the same strategy worked against the younger two as well. At first she'd been slightly offended at being the odd man out in those matches, until of course, she'd learned to use that to her advantage. And how proud her sensei had been, when he'd observed her strategy.

She smiled at the memory. Too immersed in it perhaps, because as soon as the hand touched her shoulder she spun around and entered a stance, ready to face off with whoever was there.

"Woah, easy sis!" Mike threw his hand up in defense. "I been looking everywhere for you, where you been?" He started walking back towards the main hall, motioning for her to follow. "Listen, so Raph and I went upstairs to see April about that raid coming up? Only when we got up there, Leo was there talking to her and… well, things are kinda blowing up, up there." They hurried to the stairs, heading towards April's command room. "I dunno if you're gonna be able to do anything, but I figured what the hell. You got Raph to move in and I been barkin' up that tree for like, twenty years."

When they reached the top of the landing, they could already hear the shouting. Slipping in the door, they sidled up to April, who was watching the show with a pained look on her face.

"Oh – Mikey!" April looked up, startled. "I didn't even realize you'd left."

He gave her a smug look. "Yeah, I still got it."

Taylor would've laughed, if she wasn't immediately focused on the other two. They were really going at it, just as Mike had said. Leo was once again dressed as they'd found him, in a long, black trench coat with a single sword strapped to his back. The only difference was that he'd apparently replaced his glassed somehow, a small round pair he now wore instead of his mask. To her, it almost looked wrong, not to see him in the familiar blue fabric. She watched the two of them for a few seconds, trying to get a handle on what it was they were arguing about before intervening. If she _could_ intervene, that was.

"You never gave a damn about us!" Raphael yelled. "Where were you, when the shit was goin' down on north end in '25? Mikey almost bled t'death, I hadta carry him out of that hellhole myself!"

"I was there! I -"

"_Ya weren't!"_ he seethed. "Ya turned your back on us! Went after that _woman,_ when we needed ya." He lowered his voice to a growl. "Ya turned your back on us, just like ya did Sensei."

"For the millionth time, I didn't know Mikey was hurt!" Leo drew himself up. "And I am _not _going to discuss Sensei with you again. I'm tired of repeating myself."

"You're tired," Raph spit, pacing a few steps. _"I'm tired._ Sick an' tired of this whole damn mess. Why don't ya go back to your little soldiers? S'matta, ya couldn't go a day without givin' orders, could ya? Once ya drove us out, you had to _replace us,_ just so you'd have someone to push around." He let out a nasty laugh. "You are so predictable. Perfect little Leo, always in control. Whattaya think Sensei would say if he saw ya now? Leadin' a different team, turnin' your back on your _own brothers._ Bet he's turnin' circles in his grave."

"You dishonor him with such talk," Leo spoke through his teeth. "Everything I've ever done, was in accordance with his wishes. You defied me, you refused to follow me, and it was _you_ Raphael –_ you _broke this team apart, _not me."_

Raphael narrowed his eyes and looked his brother over. The pause was dangerous. Weapons might be drawn here, anything could happen. Everyone held their breath.

But there would be no physical violence today. Instead, Raphael said, "Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that, _Fearless._ What do we matter anymore, ya got your new 'brothers' now. Dunno why I even pulled ya outta that place, I shoulda left ya to rot! If Mikey and Taylor hadn't been goin' headfirst into a goddamn suicide mission, _I woulda."_

That hurt, though Leo tried not to show it. "I don't have to listen to this," he said. And just like that, Leo was gone; without a sound he literally disappeared into the shadows.

Mike squinted. "How does he_ do_ that…"

Taylor just stood looking after the place he'd disappeared to. She knew, even if she did cross the room to that area, that he wouldn't be there. She sighed. There hadn't even been an opportunity to stop them. Now it looked like things were back the way they had been. Not even risking life and limb to save one another was enough to get the two friendly again. So stubborn, she thought. And so sad.

Raphael, still fuming, was staring off with a quiet, yet psychotic, look of rage. He didn't look at them, didn't speak. But he was teetering on that edge, ready to blow.

"Raph," April started.

"Fuck him." He paced a few steps, frustrated. "He's so full a himself. I don't owe him nothin'! He ain't done nothin' for us – not for years."

"Raph, listen -"

"Look," he cut her off, "I really don't wanna hear it, Ape. I know what yer gonna say, and it's done! Heard it all before."

"Raphael! Listen to me." Reluctantly, he looked over at her. How she could still order him around after all these years, he'd never know. But once her voice had that commanding aspect to it, he knew it was listen or pay the price. He knew it, Casey had known it – and now that the old battle-axe had armies to push around, it only made it worse.

"There's something you should know," she started. "He made me swear never to tell. But I can't keep it a secret from you guys anymore."

He didn't like the sound of this already. "What are ya talkin' about?"

She took a breath, collecting her thoughts. Finally she began, speaking slow and dividing her attention amongst the three of them. Taylor got the impression that some of this speech was for her benefit, which she was happy to have. Leo had told her about some of the things his team did, but he'd seemed reluctant to give certain details. "One of the goals of the Nighthawks," April told them, "is of course to help combat the Foot and give us leverage in this war. They work closely with our group, with me as contact. As you know, your brother created the 'hawks shortly after you guys split for good. He looked for the best martial artists we had to offer and helped trained them in stealth tactics, which they still do today. They keep behind the scenes and get into places our militias can't always get to. Aside from us few standing here, many aren't even really sure they exist at all, which is the way we want to keep it. The longer they stay a secret from the Foot, the more damage they'll be able to do. But most of those things you probably already know." She turned her attention back to Raphael, looking at him carefully. "What you don't know is the true purpose of the 'hawks, and why they were created in the first place."

Raphael gave Mike a glance, wondering if he knew what she meant. But there was no answer there, Mike was just as clueless. April continued, "When you moved to the East River and started doing the supply raids, they were there. Every raid, every run on the Foot supply trucks, every attack on their warehouses. If _you_ were involved," she said, indicating Raph, "they were there."

Raphael gave her a blank look. "Shut up."

"They stayed in the shadows and only intervened when it was absolutely necessary. And they've been doing that since the beginning, _for every single run,_ right up until the present. When you guys took out that caravan a month ago? Leo was there. His guys were the ones that assassinated the guards in the last two trucks."

"No." Raphael was in shock, there had to be some mistake here. He would've known, he was sure of it. "That's bullshit. We – we just thought it was other guerrillas. There's always locals, random mercs – happens all the time…" He tried, but it didn't even sound convincing to his own ears.

She turned to Mike. "Every time we engaged the Foot – the attacks on our compounds, even the south riots three years ago. Every major conflict you were involved in, Mike – the 'hawks were there too. Same thing, they stayed hidden and offered support without your knowledge."

"So you mean… Leo's been watching our backs all these years?" Mike could hardly believe it.

She nodded, turning back to Raphael. "Why do you think I was so adamant about you keeping me involved in your plans? It wasn't just because I cared, even though I do. But I had to report back to Leo, what you two were doing, so his guys could plan around it. Mike being here made it easy to keep an eye on him. You were a little tougher," she said, again acknowledging Raph, "but I managed. Everything you guys do, they're there. They do their own raids too, but only during downtime between what you guys are involved in."

Raph was just shaking his head, unable to grasp it. There were times he knew, in which unexplained things seemed to happen in their favor. He'd never really thought it was luck, but it was easier than believing the alternative.

"He didn't want you guys to know. For one thing, he thought you might try to evade him, or do things under his radar." Again, she turned to Raph, accusing. "Which we all know you would. But, that's not all of it. He didn't form the Nighthawks to replace you guys – _he did it so that he could keep you safe._ He's been watching over you. He cares about you Raph, you and Mikey both. You're his brothers, he'll always love you."

A much more subdued Raphael just looked at her. Finally tearing his eyes away, he made a disgusted sound and stormed out without a word.

.

.

.


	4. Chapter 04

.

* * *

><p><strong>-chapter 04-<strong>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.**  
><strong>

There was a common area with couches and seating just outside the hallway that led to Mike's place. It was a room that needed to be passed through in order to reach the stairs that led down there. It was there, in that sitting room, where he waited.

The main lights were off in this sector but the night lights were on; small LEDs that rimmed the ceiling and gave off a gentle, bluish hue. There was only enough light to see the center of the halls, so that one could walk through without tripping over oneself. It still left a great deal of darkness and shadow along the walls and in the crevasses of the larger rooms.

He saw the shadow bulge slightly from one end of the room and stop, waiting. Even though Raphael hadn't made a sound, he knew it wasn't necessary to. Leo had sensed that a person was sitting here and he was now watching, trying to assess who that sitting person might be.

Raphael decided to answer his question. "Hey," he said.

The shadow bent slightly again. "I'm just here to say goodbye to Taylor, before I head back." As an afterthought, he added, "You should… stay here, with them. It would make her really happy, I think." The shadow then moved forwards, towards the stairwell.

"April told me your little secret."

Leo stopped in his tracks, letting that sink in. He could only be talking about one thing. "If this is going to be another speech about how controlling I am, then you can save it. I need to get back."

"I uh…" He cleared his throat. He suddenly didn't know what to say. He stood up, pacing and pulling at the ends of his mask. "I just…" Stalling again, he turned abruptly, blurting out, "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't a said all that stuff before. And I dunno… I'm sorry for a lotta stuff. For being stupid, I guess."

There was no sound in the small room. He knew Leo was still standing there but he still couldn't be seen. Raphael went on. "Yeah, so she told me what ya been up to, 'bout the Nighthawks… 'bout everything. Gotta admit, it was pretty hard to swallow. And uh, I had to think about a lotta shit. And I don't _like_ thinkin' about shit." He gave a gruff laugh. "But alright. It was never right to blame ya over Sensei. I guess I always knew it wasn't really your fault. I been more pissed that you abandoned us after he died. Or I thought ya did."

"I'd never abandon you guys. Even if you hate me, I won't."

"I don't hate ya," Raph said, adding, "I never did."

Leo couldn't see his brother in the traditional sense but Raphael could still feel his eyes on him. Sensing him, listening; feeling the currents of air change around him, hyper-aware of every nuance. He knew he was being studied.

"I know. I know you didn't. It was my fault."

Leonardo took a few steps closer, finally revealing himself in the cool glow of the lights. "I um…" He stopped, shaking his head a little. "I didn't handle it so well, when we lost Sensei. You blamed me, but I blamed me too. I just kept thinking, that if I'd done something differently…" He paused again, looking for the right words. "I couldn't face you guys. I thought the same thing might happen again, that I'd screw up and you or Mike might pay for it. I'd already lost Donnie," he said, faltering a little at his brother's name. "I thought it might be better to just watch you from the shadows. And look at you, you've both been doing fine. You don't need me to lead you."

"Huh." Raph crossed his arms. "If ya think this is us doin' fine, ya ain't been watchin' close enough."

Leo took a deep breath. "Listen, I know having Taylor back makes it seem different, it makes me long for the old days too. I'm sorry to see her come back to this. Unfortunately she's going to have to accept that that time is done. We're not a team anymore, we're not like we _were,_ anymore."

"Well," Raph said, shrugging, "we don't gotta be what we were. We can do somethin' – new, I guess. It's never gonna be like it was, but I dunno, it might work out."

Leo looked taken aback. "Are you saying…?"

Raphael laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess I am. I mean, ya never really _stopped_ bein' leader anyways, right? You were still there all this time, callin' the shots, we just didn't know it." He smirked. "Made me look like a total asshole over it too. So thanks. Ya haven't lost the knack for that, apparently."

Leo cracked the slightest of smiles. "You always did make it too easy." He stiffened up again. "Are you sure about this?"

Raph nodded. "Yeah. Even bein' here, with Mikey, and Taylor – I realize now how stupid we all been." He shook his head, clearing it. "How stupid I been. We never shoulda separated like we did, Mikey knew it. It was something Sensei was always big on, and I think now I see why. It ain't just about fightin', ya know?"

"I know."

Silence fell between them again, before Raph said, "So… is that it, then? Are we cool?"

Leo smiled, much wider this time. "Yeah, I guess we are." He held out an arm, palm up. "Peace?"

Raphael gripped his forearm and pulled in for a half-hug. "Yeah, peace. Heh."

Before Raph could pull away though, Leo said low, "And Raph – thanks for the save."

Raphael didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arm around in a full hug, gripping his brother tight. So many years, washed away in that moment. It had been so close there, in that war-torn building, thinking that Leo was going to die right in front of them, or at any point on the frenzied dash back to the base. If April had confided Leo's secret to Raph at any other time, it might not have had the impact. But after carrying his brother back, drenched in his blood, even hearing his dying apology there on the floor of that place – it had brought it all home. And as for Leo, just the fact that his family had come for him when all hope was lost; thinking for so long that he'd been hated, forgotten. That alone was enough to show him what a fool he'd been all these years.

As they parted, Leo tilted his head back and raised his voice. "You guys can come out now, I think we're done."

Taylor and Mike exchanged a guilty look. "How did he know?" she asked.

"It's the blindness," Mike grumbled. "Makes his other senses all crazy."

Mike and Taylor revealed themselves, stepping from around the corner. "You little eavesdroppers," Raph said, annoyed. Looking around a bit uncomfortably, he suddenly stretched, yawning. "Welp, that's enough f'me. All this touchy-feely crap's knockin' me out."

Mike elbowed his sister. "Look at him try to save face," he muttered. They giggled. Mike said, "Did you guys mean it? Are we really getting the team back together?"

There was a pause, before Leo said, "Well, yeah. I guess we are. We'll have to go over the specifics tomorrow, I think, but -"

"_Hell yeah!"_ Mike exclaimed. "Dudes, we gotta celebrate! We still got a few beers – I managed to hide _a few_ from Raph – and I got this modded version of _Call of Duty: Ultimate War 57,_ where the soldiers are switched, so instead of playing_ as_ the Foot, you're blowing them away. I get player one though, calling it." He took off down the hall. "C'mon!"

"I get first!" Taylor called out with a grin. She followed in behind Mike.

Leo sighed. "You know, I really do need to get back. If we're going to do this, I have to settle things with the 'hawks, tie up loose ends… I can't just up and move in this _second…"_

Raph clapped him on the back. "Aw c'mon. Just look at 'em. You can't deny 'em this."

Raphael was right, it wasn't hard to see how pleased Taylor was and Mike was acting downright giddy. With another sigh, Leo gave in, following Raph into the corridor below.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

A few hours later found the four huddled around Mike's small (though to Taylor it seemed quite large, and not at all second-hand) television, shouting and drinking and carrying on as if there had been no years between. Leo gave a pass on the games, citing that he had no way to sense virtual enemies, but followed that up with the admission that he'd be more than happy to relieve Mike of some of his beer. With drinks in hand, he and Raph spent a portion of the evening on the other side of Mike's crawlspace, plotting out how they would rebuild the lair. Leo was especially interested in where the new dojo would be, and spoke of the equipment he could bring along to help furnish it.

It was strange, and not a little awkward in some moments, but it felt good. It felt right. For the first time in he didn't know how long, Leonardo felt some peace. He didn't know it for sure, but it was a sentiment he was sharing with his brothers. What Raph had said to him rang true; being here now, planning raids with the hothead, listening to the laughter of his younger siblings carry in from the next room – it was all reinforcing the idea of exactly how wrong it had been for them to split up in the first place.

Back inside, the video game session continued at full swing. After a particularly intense match, Mike found himself beaten again. "I dunno how you're so good at this when you haven't even played the other… what's it been, like fifty games since?" Mike looked at his sister with disgust.

Taylor grinned back at him. "The fundamentals are the same. There are a few more buttons on these things than I remember," she said, holding up the large, clunky game controller, "but it's sort of funny how these games don't really seem to have changed all that much."

Mike snorted. "You should write for one of the underground game feeds, those guys would agree. All's I got is retro stuff anyways. But if I had the cash…" He whistled. "The best rigs are all VR now. Full-body suit, you step into this sensory dep tank – it's pretty killer. One day I'm gonna get one." He paused a second, reaching for his beverage and knocking it back. That lust for technology, it reminded him of how he'd been, at one time, on top of all the latest games. And there was one guy who had made it possible. His genius brother knew the ins and outs of any machine, often fixing or modifying Mike's existing systems, or on a few occasions, even building one from scratch. He also knew the right places to pirate the software and that pretty much never left Mike wanting. Mike remembered how funny he'd thought that was; the fact that Don was a ninja _and_ a pirate the fodder for quite a few jokes.

Sitting here now, with their family nearly intact, it was hard not to miss him. Taking another swig, Michelangelo pushed the thoughts away and handed the controller off to Raphael. "Hey," he suddenly piped up, "we should totally call April! She's gonna hit the roof!"

"Mikey it's the middle of the night, she's sleepin'!" Raph said.

But it was too late. He'd already hit the intercom, sending a very loud, very alarming buzzing sound through April's quarters. Almost immediately, she was there. "Mike! What is it, what's the matter_!_?"

"April, you're never gonna believe this – Raph and Leo kissed and made up, and now we're all gonna be fighting together again. They're both here, with me and Tay. We're just hanging out! Can you believe it?"

There was silence on the other end. Then: "Really?"

"Yeah!"

More silence. Then: "That's really great. I'm sure I'm going to be very excited about it in the morning. When I'm awake. Good_night, _Mikey."

"'Night, beautiful." He made a smooching sound into the electronic box.

If an intercom could be shut off angrily, then this was the one. Mike knew there was a speech in his future about the importance of using these lines for emergency use only, but right now he didn't care. He looked around the room at them. If you'd asked him last week if he'd thought he'd ever see Raph and Leo together again in the same room, he would have thought that crazy enough. But to have his sister here too, after thirty long years of absence? It was almost too much to conceive. It made him think of Donatello again. If Taylor could come back, why not Donnie? After all, they'd never known what had happened to him for sure. Maybe it wasn't too crazy to think after all.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

The weeks passed and the four set to clearing out what would be their new home. With the help of a few others, they managed to get the wall down and slowly the beginnings of a real lair started to take shape.

Leo was absent a lot in those first weeks, moving between the Nighthawks' compound and the new lair, though he made time to join them on the eastern supply raid Raph and Mike had been slated to do. The three of them, with Taylor accompanying, made short work of the half a dozen or so trucks without too much incident, though they weren't without help. At one point during the operation, when they had been laying down the last of the charges, Taylor was sure she heard the now unmistakable sound of drones, when suddenly the sound vanished. She would've thought the noise imagined, if she hadn't caught the exchange between her older brothers. When Raphael mentioned to their leader that he thought he'd heard enemy air support, the look on his face said he already knew the answer; Leo's smug expression in return just drove it home. Taylor was glad to see that the Nighthawks were still friendly, and she guessed that it wouldn't be the last time their two teams encountered one another.

But as time went on and they settled in to the now much larger, tunneled-out space deep below the southern Manhattan compound, Leo, though he'd become increasingly more likely to be found on or near the base, still seemed to keep his distance somewhat from the others. When he wasn't meeting with April and her contacts or monitoring the feeds, he was training solo in their new (or rather, the space that would be) dojo. Taylor imagined that he was probably just having some trouble adjusting to the new arrangements. But she wondered if there wasn't something else bothering him.

One evening, after an especially long and brutal training session, Leonardo stepped into their new common/living area where the others were gathered and watching the feeds. Sweating and still panting slightly from the workout, he said, "I need you all in the dojo."

When the three of them filtered in, Leo was there waiting. Their training area was large enough, only slightly smaller than the one Taylor remembered from before. They'd managed to lay down mats and move various bits of smaller equipment in, weights and practice weapons mostly, though Raph had been able to secure a sandbag in one corner. Leo stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed. There was no doubt to any of them, that whatever he had to say next was going to be big. He didn't waste any time getting to the point.

"I think we should reinstate our search for Donatello."

Immediately Raphael turned away with a sour look. Before he could open his mouth, Leo added, "I know he's alive, somewhere."

"Oh, you know what?" Raph turned on him. "Enough with that bullshit. No you _don't _know. None of us does."

"I'm telling you, I can feel his chi. It never left the stream -"

"_Ugh,"_ Raphael grunted. "And enough with this_ chi_ crap. It don't mean nothin' against the real world. You been singin' this song from the beginning, but just 'cuz you _feel_ like Donnie's alive, don't mean he is."

"I dunno," Mike cut in, "we didn't think we'd ever see Taylor again either."

Raphael spared a glance towards the girl who'd suddenly appeared back in their lives, seemingly from thin air. "Yeah well – if Donnie was alive all this time, then where the hell is he? Why wouldn't he come back?" He paced a few steps in a huff. "There's no way he'd abandon us, I'd never believe that. Not for a second."

"Maybe he's… in trouble. Maybe they got him locked up, somewhere," Mike offered.

"For thirty years?" Raph turned on him. "Gimme a break. You guys are kiddin' yourselves. He's _gone._ An' I made peace with that a long time ago. Maybe you should do the same."

He looked at his sister again and saw what his words had done. She didn't say anything, but her lip was quivering just the slightest. "M'sorry," he said, turning to leave. "But that's the way it is."

"Raph, wait."

Against his better judgment, Raphael turned around. Maybe it was the way Leo sounded, or the way Taylor had looked so crushed. Or maybe he too, was feeling the pang of regret at having lost their genius. Certainly their reconciliation and reminder that their team would forever be incomplete had opened that wound for him as well.

"I've got an idea," Leo told him.

Raphael just looked at him. Finally, he gave in. "Alright, I'll humor ya," Raph said. He added, grumbling, "Dunno what great idea ya got now, s'like ya forgot we already covered the whole damn city a million times."

Leo turned to his sister then. "Taylor. There was a time, I remember, that you used your telekinetic powers for something else. Instead of affecting objects, you made a vision appear to me. Do you remember?"

She nodded. She knew right away what he was talking about. An isolated incident and a strange one, to be sure. But they'd always known that her powers weren't always accurate and were often affected by outside elements, stress and emotional disturbances being the most common interferences. In the instance he was describing, she'd been lucky that such a thing was true. She'd been in trouble with the Foot, a fight that ended up with her bound and captured, ready to be shipped back to where, they never did find out. Tossed into the back of a van, she'd called out for her brothers, for Leo specifically, in her mind. At the time she hadn't known what possessed her to do it, other than raw fear she supposed. But somehow it had worked. Not only had Leo heard her cry, he'd gotten an image of where she was and they'd been able to come to the rescue. In addition, there had been other, smaller incidents where they used to joke that Taylor was using her mind powers on them, but nothing so strong that it could ever be confirmed. Except for that one occurrence. On that day they'd rescued her, she'd realized that her powers were capable of more.

"I think," Leo added, "that it can work between us because of our training. Sensei, in his wisdom, saw to train us extensively in the art of altered states of consciousness. None of us could master it quite like he could, but I'd say we're significantly more skilled than your average practitioner. I myself, have always been strong in walking the astral plane, which I think is why you and I had a connection that day."

"You want me to try with Donnie." She didn't sound very hopeful.

"It can't hurt."

Taylor took a deep breath and nodded. So it was up to her, then. After that day, she hadn't attempted to repeat the phenomenon, partly because the need for it hadn't come up, but partly because she was nervous in trying to tap into that power. Entering into someone's mind, creating a link between another's and her own was as scary as it was awesome, and she didn't want to risk something going wrong with one of her brothers on the receiving end.

So with little or no practice, Taylor didn't have much hope that it would work. Nevertheless, Leo was right – they weren't going to lose anything by trying. She asked them to follow her up to one of the base-owned rooftops, to a secluded area used by their people to monitor aerial attacks. There, under the awning of what looked from above to be nothing more than a large, rooftop garden, Taylor began to focus. She breathed in deep, letting the chill air sting her lungs and looked around the city as it was now, at the buildings she recognized, and at the ones she didn't. At the whole areas gone, obliterated by massive explosions and warfare, the subtle sounds of which carried up here even now as they stood high above. At the large, Times Square-sized video screens that flickered throughout the city, spouting the propaganda of the Foot; at the sheer _presence_ of the Foot everywhere, in those symbols and billboards and crews of men building over the areas lost to war, trying to sweep away any and all signs of resistance. She stood there taking it all in, marveling at how different it all really was, the destruction and _con_struction that seemed to be a constant in this dismal future.

Taylor concentrated on thoughts of Donatello, picturing him, pulling up memories of him. His appearance, his voice, his mannerisms and quirks; his lab and gear and the gadgets he often had in hand at any given time. She imagined him as he was in battle, swinging his weapon around with the ease of one who'd given himself over to the discipline of the bo staff, knocking back foes with the same amount of precision that they all shared. She could hear his laughter in her head, his excitement over one of his breakthroughs, his impatient-yet-amiable sigh when having to explain something that seemed so elementary to him.

She stood like that for nearly an hour, unmoving with her back to them, only her hair and clothes moving occasionally with the wind. Finally, Raphael was losing patience. Speaking low, he said, "Leo, this is stupid."

"Give her time, Raph. I know she can do this."

"It ain't right to put this kinda pressure on her. What if somethin' goes wrong?" He flicked his eyes over at Mike. Lowering his voice even more, he added, "Look, I didn't wanna say nothin' but she already almost brought a building down on top of us."

"Yeah, but she's also the only reason we got outta there," Mike said. "Give her a chance, dude."

Low voices or not, Taylor had picked up every word. But despite what they said or believed she could do, it wasn't going to happen. She was sure now, that she couldn't do it.

She couldn't do it.

She'd searched but there was nothing, not even a spark. Maybe she could try again another time, maybe she could practice… but she didn't think it would matter. She didn't know if it was her, or if Donatello really was gone, but Taylor was almost sure she couldn't reach him this way. And somehow she had to tell Leo and the others that.

She took another deep breath, reveling in the coolness of the night, the sharpness of the air invigorating to her, listening as her brothers continue to argue under their breaths. It was obvious that Taylor's return was what sparked the reformation of their clan. But she knew her presence alone wasn't enough to hold it together. It had sounded like there were more than enough reasons why they'd split in the first place, but she wondered at that, more specifically, she wondered _when_ it had all started to break down. At first it had seemed like the death of their sensei was what sparked the decline, but now she wasn't so sure.

It was hard not to feel some guilt over it, since he'd gotten lost looking for her. But where she'd eventually returned to them, Donatello had not. And watching these last few weeks pass by, it had been difficult not to think of him. Having to commission outside help in the reconstruction of their lair had been bad enough, but every little thing it seemed like, from splicing some of the electrical lines to tightening up the leakier pipes, right down to figuring out the best and most efficient channels to have up as their main feed – all of these things and more, made the absence of their house engineer felt. She guessed that they all had to be feeling it, Leo most of all, hence his request of her now. But she couldn't do it. And without Donatello, she was beginning to worry what it would mean for them, that things might just head down the same path as before. Maybe it was naïve, to ever think that things could go back to the way they were.

The situation between Raph and Leo was heating up and the sound of it grated on her, a reminder of just how delicate their alliance was at the moment. This was her fault, she thought. If she could just focus, she could fix this. Leo thought Donnie was alive but Raph had a point, it wasn't very likely. Still, if she could get a clear picture of him, something – at least she could tell them something.

"So I guess your admission to follow orders only applies to the orders you agree with," she heard Leo say.

"What 'orders'?" Raph demanded. "If bein' one a your little soldiers means I gotta agree with every whim that crosses your skull, count me out."

Enough, she'd had enough. Listening to the two of them argue like this, knowing she'd let them down, knowing that she was only going to make it worse by having to tell them how doubtful she was that she'd ever get a fix on Donatello – it was enough. She shivered at the nip in the air and let her eyes fix on a nearby potted plant; forgotten perhaps by its owner, or a victim of the changing season, it was a thin, vined thing, creeping up along a wooden post stuck askew in the clay pot that served as its base. The leaves, what few were left, had withered to a muddy brown and as she watched, one more went with the wind.

"And what do you think it means to be part of a team?" Leo shot back. "Has living alone all these years made you forget how to show a little respect? If one of my men ever talked to me the way you do, he would've been facing exile."

Raphael laughed. "Oh that's great. _Exile?_ Really, Leo?" He laughed some more. "You musta been happier than hell, all those little dogs lickin' at your boots." He sneered. "'Cept I ain't one a your men, I'm your _brother._ You seem to a forgot there's a difference."

It was enough. Taylor turned around, ready to burst, to yell or scream or to tell them off, but the second she looked at her brothers she found herself unable to make a sound.

"What I haven't forgotten," Leo said, "is how much of a pain my ass you were. If you want the truth, it was more pleasant fighting beside you when you didn't know I was there."

"Cute." Raph's tone made it clear he didn't like to be reminded of Leo's spying on him. "But I gotta say _that_ feelin's mutual. Maybe you're getting senile, you forgot how things work around here. Well let me bring you up to speed. First off, I -"

Raphael never got the chance to finish. "Guys," Mike breathed. "Look!"

Her eyes, an alien shade of purple and one of her most defining features (and if not mistaken for colored lenses, the only obvious clue that she wasn't of this world) were wide and unblinking, focused but away, seeing something they could not. She began to sway a little, entranced. Astonishingly, a dark presence emanated from the air around her and seemed to swallow her form. She raised her arms, holding them in front of her like a dancer, the darkness swirling about her, trailing along her frame like smoke, the thin tendrils of it teasing around her almost playfully. A small moan slipped from between her lips, a cold sound that ran itself along the spine.

Raphael made a step towards her before Leo's arm went out, stopping him. "Wait," Leo said.

As they watched, she began to levitate slightly into the air. The black essence surrounding her intensified, picking up speed and twisting around her in a violent storm, whipping her hair and clothing around her body. Mike looked at Leo unsure, but Leo's focus was solely on his sister. He could not visualize the incredible sight before them, but he could feel the raw power radiating from her, could sense her in the stream, searching, and knew that she was breaching contact with their lost brother.

All at once her body jerked and a pulse wave shot out from her, too light to do damage, but enough to knock the others back a step or two. Raphael started making for her again, before Leo stopped him a second time.

"Raph, wait!" Leo drew his sword and held it outwards, blocking his brother's path; not altogether threateningly, but enough to show he meant business.

"Leo she's in trouble, we gotta do somethin' before she demolishes the whole place -"

"Hold, brother." Leo, keeping his weapon steady, turned his head slightly in Raphael's direction. "Trust me."

A second wave shot from her, knocking over some of the nearby plants and junk scattered around, in addition to knocking both Raphael and Michelangelo off of their feet. They recovered quickly, the blast stronger this time but again, not enough to be dangerous. However, as the two of them stood back up, the environment around them began to shiver and shake, reminding both Mike and Raph again of the incident in the building where they'd found Leo.

"I dunno Leo – maybe Raph's got a point!" Mike said, ducking as various bits of dirt and debris began to rain down from the awning over their heads. Incredibly, a few smaller items on the ground actually started to levitate and hover in the air, waiting for what, Mike didn't want to know.

"Hold your ground!" Leo shouted.

They waited. The rumbling continued for several minutes, intensifying at a slow pace. Just as Raph and Mike were readying their next wave of protests, the small earthquake stopped. Still hovering in air, Taylor looked right at them and spoke.

"Donnie," she gasped. "He's alive!"

The wisps of smoke faded and her body sank to the ground abruptly, as did all of the hovering items around them. Mike got to her first, catching her before she fell too hard. Through the clamor of lumber and pottery crashing down around them, he asked her if she was alright. She ignored the question.

"He's alive, I saw him… I saw a – a lab… computers and… instruments, machines…"

"Where?" Leo pressed her.

"I don't know, he seemed… I think he's – I think he's hurt, or sick..."

She was sounding a little delirious, not a big surprise after what they'd just witnessed. Shaking her gently, Leo tried one more time. "Taylor, think now. _Where is Donatello?"_

She didn't say anything at first, but got a strange look. "A building," she said finally. "I saw a building – it was big. It had –" She paused, pressing a hand to her temple. Suddenly she jumped up, looking around the rooftop wildly, ignoring their warnings not to stray out too far. "There!" she shouted, pointing. "That building, the one with the large dragon at the top!"

The brothers looked at her in shock. "W-what? What did I say?" she asked.

"That's the Shredder's compound," Leo said. "Donnie's with the Foot."

.

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	5. Chapter 05

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><p><strong>-chapter 05-<strong>

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><p>.<p>

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><strong>

Raphael paused, sweating. He nailed the bag a few more times, tossing in a kick or two before giving it up. Bending over, he snatched up a towel and asked, "I know ya ain't watchin' me, so what – you get off on listenin' to me work out now, or what?"

Leo was there, leaning against the doorway to their dojo. He stepped in, saying, "I finished meeting with April. Looks like we're ready to move in three days."

Raphael finished wiping his face and tossed the towel into the corner. "You're sure about this?"

Leo nodded.

"Okay, but what if she ain't right? What if we're goin' straight into Foot central for nothin'? You really think it's wise to rush in there on a vision?"

"Nope."

"But we're gonna do it anyways, aren't we?"

"Yep." Leo gave his brother a smile.

"Fantastic. So long as we're on the same page then."

Leonardo laughed. "C'mon. Did you really think we wouldn't go in, even on the smallest chance?"

Raphael rolled his eyes. _"No._ I'm just wondering why it's _me_ expressin' these concerns, and where my overly-cautious brother Leonardo went to."

"Haven't seen him in a while," Leo quipped. "Lost him about five hundred suicidal missions ago, I think. Hey, that reminds me – I have been meaning to ask you where your_ balls_ are, since you seem to have lost them somewhere over the years."

"Oof, what a _mouth,_ Fearless." Grinning, Raph reached for his sais and entered a stance. "You think I ain't up to the task, then maybe you'd like a demonstration."

Leonardo pulled his sword and flew at his brother. "Thought you'd never ask."

At the sounds of their friendly sparring, Taylor moved on to the kitchen. She hadn't really meant to overhear their conversation, but it left her with mixed feelings. She didn't blame Raph for his skepticism, she knew he was just being cautious. But the severity of this situation wasn't lost on her. Even if she hadn't seen the might of the Foot firsthand, just listening as Leo went back and forth with April and the others over their plan of attack was enough to clue her in on what they were up against. It didn't sound like it was going to be an easy operation, by any means.

On the other hand, the knowledge that Donatello was out there somewhere had lifted everyone's spirits, the two sparring brothers' included. Every other raid and operation had been put on hiatus. Donnie was alive, and now they were focused on only one thing – finding him, and bringing him home.

~.~

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><p>~.~<p>

"Something's wrong, isn't it? You know I can tell."

He laughed softly. It was true, she always could. They used to joke about it, that it was unfair of her to use her mind powers on them, but the reality was that it probably had little to do with her powers at all. Just like April, the two of them had always been very in tune with what Leo and his brothers were thinking and feeling. Mike always teased that it was a "girl thing", but Leo felt that maybe he wasn't too far off the mark.

She slid up onto the ledge next to him, breathing in the cool night air. It was almost pleasant tonight, here under the same awning where they'd watched her enter that terrifying state, hovering impossibly in the air right in front of their eyes. "Is it me?" she asked him suddenly. "As weird as this all is for me, I don't have any idea of time passing. I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like for you guys. I feel like such an outsider here. Thirty years… I haven't even been alive that long. Er, well – maybe I have. But not as far as I know." She laughed a little, but felt almost on the verge of tears. "You're all so old, now."

"I feel old," he admitted. "But no, it's not you. I couldn't be happier that you've come home to us." He gave her a warm smile. "Little sister. Truly, your return is a blessing." He raised a hand in front of his face and tilted his head forward in formal, prayer-like gesture. "Speaking of getting old, I'll tell you it's not something I'm fond of. Especially how much less stamina I seem to have these days." He stretched, yawning and emphasizing the point. "I'm past my peak, I know that. It makes me think a lot about Sensei, I wonder if he ever felt this way."

"If he did, it was hard to tell," she said fondly. Their master had been significantly older even when she had known him, though it certainly didn't stop the old rat from kicking their butts at a moment's notice. "It's hard to tell with you guys too. Watching you fight – especially in practice, I'm having trouble keeping up. You're all definitely more skilled than I remember you being."

Leo smiled a little at that but didn't say anything, so she probed again. "It's Donnie, isn't it? I thought you'd be happier, now that we know he's alive, at least."

He stood, taking a few steps and turned his focus outwards, as if he were scanning the rooftops around them. "I am," he said. "But I can't stop wondering why. Why is he _there?_ I keep coming back to the same two reasons. One, that they've got him there against his will," he said with a shudder, "and two, that he's _not_ there against his will. So help me Taylor – I don't know which is worse."

"Donnie would never join the Foot, Leo. Raph was right, he'd never betray us. There's got to be some other explanation." She hoped that was true but the alternative was hardly better. If they had been keeping Donatello there locked up, who knew what unspeakable things they might have been doing to him in all this time. She didn't want to think about it.

"We – we had a fight," Leo said to her. "An argument, right before he disappeared. He wanted to move forward with what I thought was a dangerous operation to look for you. I wasn't against it," he said, his face twisting up with the memory, "but I thought we needed more preparation, a better plan. I should've just gone along with whatever he wanted. But I - I was too hard on him. I told him to toughen up, that he was being a child. He was just upset about you, we all were."

A gust of wind blew by, taking with it the ends of Leo's coat. He didn't move, keeping the same stance he'd had throughout, still and rigid as he told his story. "We came home to sleep just a few hours. We'd been out looking for you, tracing your steps, anything we could do. But when I went to wake the others, Donnie wasn't there. His bed hadn't been slept in, and right away I knew what he'd done. I still thought he'd come back."

He turned to face her and though he could no longer see, Taylor still had the feeling that he was somehow looking at her. "It was my fault. I drove him right into the hands of our enemies and that's where he's been, all this time. Whatever we find in there," he said, pausing to turn in the direction of the ominous building, "it's my doing."

"Leo," she said. "We're going to find him, I know it."

After a few moments he turned, joining her on the ledge once again. "I'm sorry," he said. "This isn't exactly the best way to encourage the troops, is it? I should be asking you if _you_ feel ready for this. I know I'm repeating myself here, but you still haven't been -"

"_- sufficiently trained in modern day warfare,"_ they finished together.

"Okay," he said laughing. "So I am repeating myself. Still. Whether you think our skills are up to par or not, we all have our disadvantages. Raph's done well in training but I can tell he has some trouble with depth perception. Mikey of course, is weaker on his left side. And me… I've adapted well to my handicap. But it's important to remember that that's exactly what it is."

She wondered again at the story behind Leo's loss of sight but still couldn't bring herself to ask. However, coincidentally (or perhaps not; again, she was ever suspicious when her mind tricks were firing on and off) Leo began telling her the story.

"It was maybe twenty, twenty-five years ago now. When the first armies descended on the city, they were pulling people out of their homes. We – we didn't think, we just jumped right into the fight. It was stupid." He sighed. "I'm just glad it was only me that paid the price for that one. We've all had our share of injury over the years but I guess mine was the first big one." He thought on it for a second, before turning to her. "I'm sure to you we look pretty worse for wear. I still don't know how Raph lost his eye, he never told me and I wasn't with him when it happened. That was before I formed the Nighthawks. Really, it was one of the contributing factors as to _why_ I formed them. And Mikey – well, Mikey's lucky we _were _with him, or he would've bled to death for sure.

"This though," he said, pointing at his eyes, "was my own fault. I was angry. Angry at the destruction, at their disregard for innocent civilians. But mostly I was mad about us, about Donnie… and you." He sat there a few moments with his head bowed, remembering. "Our family was falling apart and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

"They were using tear gas," he said, sounding far away. "I thought with my training, it wouldn't affect me as much. And it wouldn't have. But I was arrogant, too sure of myself. We'd been on the streets for hours, I was losing steam but didn't want to give up yet. I helped this woman out of the gas, I remember thinking: _she's so small and frail_. Not the slightest threat. I couldn't believe this was happening here, on our streets, right in our home. When I got her to the edge of the cloud, I saw them. Elites, a half-dozen of them, waiting just outside for me.

"I was in no shape to fight one of them, let alone so many. But I was just so mad at them." He let out a small, rueful laugh. "Ironic, given all the times I laid into Raph over losing his temper. As a matter of fact, if he and Mike hadn't been right there, I would've lost a lot more than my eyesight."

He took off his glasses then and looked skywards, showing off the entirety of the scar. It had made her skin crawl the first time she'd seen it, but more so now to hear him tell the story of his final image, the way the elite had swiped his blades in one fast motion, cutting across both eyes and leaving the X-shaped mark he now bore across his face.

"I wish I could help you. All of you."

He knew she was talking about her healing ability. But her powers were very limited, she could mend cuts and broken bones by fusing the tissue and minerals together, but creating new and living cells was beyond her capability. "It's okay," he told her. "In a way, I don't regret it. I had to learn many things, the most difficult – yet rewarding – in mastering the art of blind-fighting. And that experience alone has changed me in ways I never thought possible." He laughed slightly, embarrassed. "I don't know why I'm going on so much about it now. I guess I just got to thinking because I haven't seen you in so many years. When April told me that you hadn't aged… well to be honest, I was picturing you the way I remembered anyways. But I'm not sure if I remember correctly. I mean, I have this idea in my head of what you looked like, but it's been so long…"

She didn't ask permission or waste time with words. Taylor reached up and laid a hand gently on the side of his head, across his temple. Neither of them spoke. She concentrated, trying her hardest to create something, some image for him. To give him something he hadn't had in a long time.

There were a few moments of the usual darkness and then, where there had been nothing, amazingly there was something: lines at first, thin and basic, fading in and taking shape. Taylor concentrated harder. The link was there, what she saw was what he would see, she knew. She relaxed her mind and opened the door to her memories, letting him peek inside her own thoughts and images.

Suddenly, the picture exploded into view, enveloping him in color. She could hear Leo's breath hitch beside her as the scene unfolded. Nothing special, a random memory of watching TV, in the days from when Taylor remembered, decades prior. All of them there, talking, laughing and joking. Raph punching Mike for something dumb he'd said. Casey, with his arm around April. Donnie, sitting and ignoring the television with his nose in a book.

And there was more. Once Taylor had the door open, other memories followed. Sparring in their dojo, hanging out at April's place, patrols around the city. The time Mike had walked in their door with a little orange kitten. One of numerous times something exploded in Don's lab. Christmases, birthdays – and lessons from their sensei and father, the old rat whose early departure would always weigh the heaviest on his eldest son. The images came fast and with much detail. After several minutes they began to fade to black for Leo, while the real world seeped back in for his sister. As her vision cleared, she watched as the dark strands of black essence that had accompanied her the first time once again faded from view.

With a shaky hand, Leo reached up and clasped hers, silent tears coursing down his cheeks. "Thank you," he whispered, bringing her hand around and kissing the back of it. "Thank you."

~.~

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><p>~.~<p>

It was decided early on that the best plan of attack would be a small, stealth mission. April tried to talk Leo into letting her keep a few squads on standby, to just allow them to stay close to the area in case anything went wrong, but ultimately Leo convinced her not to do it. They both knew that if it came to that, their few battalions wouldn't stand a chance against the Foot's most elite armies. The Shredder spared no expense in protecting his most valuable resource, himself. And Leo didn't want to risk any more lives in the pursuit of his missing brother; this was a personal issue and they would handle it as such.

Under the cover of night, the four of them waited above the docking station, watching for the train to come through. Intelligence had suggested that this shipment would be arriving underneath the Shredder's compound within the hour and even though the way in would be heavily guarded, after much debate they'd still felt that this was the best way to get inside.

On Leo's signal, they made their way onto the platform and into the cargo hold, slipping between the crates without incident. So far so good, but this was the easy part, they knew. The brothers had been down this road before, having attempted several times to infiltrate the Shredder's compound without success. They knew what to expect up to a certain point, but once on the inside, Leo had told them quite frankly that they were going to be playing it by ear. Little was known about the layout of the Foot's most guarded structure, but true to the strategy they'd once adhered to many years before, they would follow Leonardo's lead as the situation developed.

They weren't going in completely blind, however. After locating Donatello, Leo had tried to encourage Taylor to hone her mental powers a little more. When she'd brought the visions to him at will, they'd both known right then that it was possible for her to control. They'd sat together, the two them, every night after that and meditated in preparation, trying to help her keep that gap open in the hopes that it might give them more of an advantage on the inside. She knew that Donatello was in the building and she'd seen him in a lab of some sort, but it didn't really help them to know where to look. It was known that there were research labs on the lower levels of the compound and some intelligence suggested that there were even a few levels below _those,_ but information on what was down there was scarce. Some suggested that it was the nexus of the Foot's weapons program and really, their main R&D for just about everything. But no one knew for sure.

As the train came grinding to a halt, Leo held up a hand signal, telling them to hold their position. With another signal, he called for Raphael to assess and report. Raph disappeared for a few moments before returning to them. The first few cars were in the process of being unloaded and they didn't have much time before their car was up. Leo was adamant about not engaging any of the soldiers until it was absolutely necessary, so they attempted to slip into the cargo bay unnoticed.

Once the coast was clear, they filed out the rear entrance of the train car and headed for the closest cover, ducking beneath a large canvas tarp draped sloppily over a series of crates. Inside the dark, dusty tent between the boxes, they reconvened and planned the next move. Leo reached into his coat and pulled out a small microchip. He leaned down, securing it to the underside of one of the nearby crates. A second later, he brought out a small communications device, tapped the screen in a few places and waited. The gel-like substance that coated the screen warped and shifted, revealing a raised and interactive map, one that could navigated by touch. With a few more adjustments, he gave them the thumbs up.

Mike crept to the edge of the tarp and looked out. There was a large platform elevator on the far end, but no easy path to it; besides the soldiers moving and guarding the cargo coming in, there were cameras above, watching every inch of the layout. But that was one thing they'd come prepared for. Reaching into his pack, Mike pulled out a strange looking grenade, waiting for the right moment to set it off.

"Mini-EMPs," he'd told Taylor, when they were packing up for the mission. "Love these things. Acts like a power surge, knocks out communications for a few seconds. They'll even confuse the drones, if you're close enough to set 'em off."

After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, finally the train began to shove off again. As the noise of it filled the station, none of the guards were alerted to the sound of the small charge going off, and those monitoring the cameras only experienced a few seconds of static, just short enough not to be concerned about, yet just long enough for four skilled ninjas to make their way through to the exit. On the elevator itself, they once again hid in the lee of the supplies already stacked inside. There, they waited again, until two guards stepped onto the platform and it began to lower.

When the elevator finally reached its destination, it was met by a few very confused Foot soldiers. Not only had the cargo shown up unattended, but the guards that were supposed to be accompanying it were nowhere to be found. If they'd known to look, they would've found the bodies of the two missing men through the ceiling hatch and lying on top of the elevator itself. But of course the ninjas had left no trace, having escaped out the same way themselves.

Leo knew they were now on borrowed time. Forcing open the doors in the elevator shaft he listened, determining that it was safe enough. He lead them into what looked like a large warehouse, filled with similar-looking cargo as they'd seen below, in addition to some very large pieces of machinery. None of the machines seemed to be in use here; it looked to be more of a storage area than anything.

"What now, Fearless?" Raph whispered.

"Now it's up to you," he said, turning towards Taylor. "Concentrate, little sister. Tell us where to go."

She closed her eyes, bowing her head and doing as he instructed. Leo did the same, lightly meditating beside her, trying to offer support. Mike and Raph exchanged a skeptical look. With a shrug, Mike lowered his head as well, imitating the other two. Feeling silly but not wanting to be left out, Raphael reluctantly joined them.

After a few moments, Taylor opened her eyes. "He's below us – a few floors, I think. In that direction," she said, pointing east.

Leo thought a moment. They wouldn't find the missing guards for some time he was sure, but their absence would have been noticed by now. It was probably best to leave the immediate area. "We're going to need to find another way down. Let's move."

They followed him due east, picking their way through the dusty pieces of equipment. Skirting along one wall, they moved in, the room getting darker the further they went. After a while, the real scope of this place started to become apparent, as it took several minutes just to reach the far wall. The good thing was, it appeared that this area was free from soldiers. As they approached the next set of cargo doors, Leo held them back, sending Mike ahead to scout.

Mike pressed himself against the wall and looked inside the next room. Right away he came tearing back to their position.

"What is it?" Leo asked him.

"Foot soldiers!" Mike hissed. "Hundreds of 'em! We gotta go back!"

"What? Mike, that doesn't make sense -"

"Hold on." Raph stood up from where he was crouched. "Lemme see this."

Raphael made his way to the same place Mike had just been and carefully peered around the corner. At first his heart skipped a beat, thinking that Michelangelo was right – the place really _was_ full of soldiers. But something was off. He squinted, taking a closer look.

Upon realization, Raphael stepped out into the doorway in full view. With a slightly annoyed look, he beckoned the younger turtle over. Mike, still nervous about it, did as instructed. What the hell was Raph doing, didn't he see what was in there? As he approached, the older turtle grabbed him by the knot on his mask, hauling him into the doorway and forcing him to look again.

Finally, it made sense. The soldiers were lined up in perfect formation, unmoving and stiff, like mannequins. That was because they weren't real soldiers. "What are they, robots?" Mike asked.

Raph nodded. They were nearly identical to their human counterparts, though the brothers had never seen any of them on the field. Had to be new tech, he realized. Mike was right, there were literally hundreds of them lined up in here, just waiting to be deployed. The bots were offline and likely being stored here, so Raph turned and gave the all clear to the others. Leo and Taylor followed in, the four of them moving slowly between the rows of metal men, each careful not to disturb them in any way. They didn't know if the bots could be activated or not, but it wasn't something they wanted to find out.

Crossing this room was turning out to be as uneventful as the first, something that should have lessened their leader's worry, but Leo was discovering that the quieter things were, the more he was beginning not to trust it. They stopped short of the far wall, looking over the way out. "Another bot there – he's switched on. He's watching the door?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Raph answered him. "Looks like he's wired to it." In front of them was a single exit: a large, round metal door with one of the robotic Foot soldiers standing to one side of it as sentry. A nest of wires connected the back of the bot to a panel on the wall.

Leo cocked his head. "I'm not detecting any other ways out. Vents above, I think they're too small, even if we could get to them."

Raph nodded. His brother was right on all accounts. It looked like their only option was forward. Leo stepped up first, with the others close behind.

A light shone from the eyes of the machine, scanning them. "Identification required," it said.

"What do we do now?" Mike whispered.

"What ID is required?" Leonardo asked the machine.

"Security code access number, followed by employee ID. Failure to comply within the required thirty second time limit will breach security level two."

That didn't sound good. Leo racked his brain for an answer. "Ah… reset parameters. We're not requesting access. We'll go back the way we came."

"Insufficient data. Identification required. Twenty-three seconds to security breach."

Leo cursed under his breath. "Wait! Um… access number… four-seven-three-zero-five-five-nine!"

A whirring noise came from inside the bot. "Access denied. Sixteen seconds to security breach."

"Screw this." Raphael stepped up. He drove one sai deep into the chest of the bot.

Sparks flew as he wrenched the weapon back out from the metal. A series of clicks and metallic whirring noises came from inside the machine, before it spoke again.

"Unit compromised. Requesting assistance."

Behind them, a cool, electronic hum sounded over and over again as the bots went online. "Oh, that's not good," Mike just had time to say, before they turned to face them.

Leo drew his sword. "Nice going, Raph." Before Raphael had time to retort, Leo gave his orders. "Spread out and keep moving! Don't let them surround you!"

There was no time to waste. Instantly the four separated, trying to divide the masses. So far, it looked like only the bots closest to them had sprung to life, not the entire warehouse full. But that was a short-lived advantage, as they soon found out. Every time they attacked one of the active bots, the same command line would sound – _"Unit compromised, requesting assistance" _– thereby waking up more bots in the vicinity. Waves rippled through the ranks of sleeping AI units; every time they eliminated one, more arrived to take its place. Before long, the entire warehouse was alive and they were facing an army.

Raph ducked as two sharp blades shot out from the arms of the bot he was facing. He barely made it out of the way in time, driving his sais deep into the face of one, shattering the lens-like plates that served as its vision. The robot turned and faltered, unable to detect its opponent. Raph kicked it to the floor. "Aim for the eyes!" he shouted to the others. "If they can't see, they can't fight!"

Leo smirked a little at that, taking the heads off a couple at that very moment. Still, he couldn't believe how fast these things were, the technology was more sophisticated than anything they'd ever seen. Behind him he detected gunfire, realizing almost too late that they were armed with energy weapons as well.

Taylor didn't hesitate. She tore up the middle of the large room, meeting the oncoming bots head on, shouting back to the others, _"Give me room!"_

"Taylor wait!" Leo yelled after her. "There's too many -!"

But she was gone. And they couldn't follow; the brothers knew what was coming next. She plowed through the middle of the robot army until she was good and surrounded. Hoping she'd put enough distance between her and her brothers, Taylor drove both fists into the ground, sending out a psionic blast in a massive dome-shape around her. Bots flew in every direction, smashing into the walls, the ceiling and other bots. A few came crashing down near the others.

"Heads up!" Mike yelled to them, narrowly dodging one from above.

It was a good move, but there were far too many to contend with. Taylor did her best at trying to keep the majority of oncoming bots off of her brothers but many were slipping past her defense. Even as she continued to blast them, her brothers found themselves getting pushed further and further against the wall.

With a glance at the round door (which was still sealed tight), Raph was beginning to wonder if they should head back in the direction they'd come. He shouted, "Leo! How the hell are we gonna get outta here_!_?"

Leo hit the floor, dodging another round of fire and popped back up again, slicing his single katana upwards through one bot and finishing the move by impaling another behind him. "I don't see another way out – we've got to open that door!"

A crazed look came over Michelangelo's face. Kicking back a few more into the ones Raph was facing, he said, "You know what I always say dude – when in doubt, start blowing shit up!" With that, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a few explosive shurikens, tossing the lot of them in one throw. "Fire in the hole!"

They scattered just as the wall caved in from the blast. Pieces of door, wall and attacking robots flew in all directions, creating an explosion loud enough to make the ears ring. Taylor turned to see (with relief) that her brothers were still standing, but something else – the blast hadn't cleared the way enough. She intended to head that way in order to finish the job, but with her focus taken away from the fight – though the moment was brief – she let her guard down just long enough for the attacking soldiers to get an opportunity.

All three heard their sister's cry. _"Taylor!"_ Leo was the first to yell out.

Holding her side, Taylor looked up from the floor where she'd dropped. The bots were closing in. She held a shaky, bloody hand out, trying to focus a blast, but there wasn't enough time. The closest one leaped on her like a predator, bringing around its long arm-blade in a wide swipe.

Taylor shielded her face with her arm in desperate defense, but the blade never struck. She heard the clang of metal and saw a nunchaku, its chain wrapped around the offending weapon. A second later Mike wrenched the bot off of her, crushing its face with his fist.

"You know these things really friggin' hurt when you punch 'em!" he said to the others, who were now joining in the fight.

Raphael scooped his sister off of the floor. "You okay_!_?" he asked.

She winced at the pain, lifting her hand to assess the damage. She'd been shot from behind, the blast ripping through her right side near the ribcage, but the wound wasn't too deep. Their weapons here, she marveled, shot lasers like in the movies; definitely cool to see but it sure wasn't fun being on the receiving end of one. Under closer inspection, she saw that the area around the wound was burned, giving off a nauseating smell of singed flesh and clothing.

Raphael's attention was taken back to the fight. In between blows, he asked her, "Can you heal yourself?"

The pain was incredible but she pushed it away. The bots were too many, they had to get out of there. "No time!" she shouted back at him. "Just cover me!"

She ran towards the door, coughing at the cloud of dust and smoke that was still thick in the air from the blast. She focused on a few of the approaching bots, using her telekinesis to blast out their eyes. The confused units stumbled over each other, helping to block the approach of some of the others.

She placed her hands on the metal of what used to be the door and it began to shake and quiver. The structure groaned as it bent to her will, stretching an opening wide enough for them to slip into the hallway beyond.

"_We're in, let's go!"_

They ducked through the opening one by one. The bots fired after them, shooting through and into the hallway, causing fire to ricochet off the walls inside.

Taylor paused, turning back. "I have to close the gap!" she shouted over the noise.

Leo grabbed her, tossing them both down under another round of fire. "Too dangerous!" he said. Dragging her forward, he yelled out, "Mike! Bring it down!"

A grenade came sailing past just as Leo and Taylor caught up to the others. The ensuing blast rocked the entire hallway, causing them all to lose their footing. Several ceiling panels fell around them and most of the lights flickered and went out.

As the smoke cleared, Leo listened, assessing. "Looks like that did the trick," he said. "Good work, guys." Bending over Taylor he grabbed her side, inspecting the wound with his hand without asking.

"Ouch!" She slapped him away. "Quit touching it!"

"You need to heal," he told her.

"I'm fine, it's not that bad," she said. "Leo listen – Donnie's close, I can feel it!"

He nodded, helping her off of the floor. The sound of the bots through the rubble was enough to keep him from arguing. The whole place would be looking for them now.

They ran through a few more hallways until the last one emptied into a single, large room. It was as white and clinical as the halls had been, though with higher ceilings; it stretched far and around a bend, a hub for the many doors and offices and labs connecting. Taylor led them to a point, but stopped short of selecting a direction to go in. There were too many here to choose from and no immediate way downwards, no elevator or stairs, from what they could tell.

"Great," Leo said, thinking to himself. "Where to now?"

"I dunno," Raph said with a coy smile, "but I think I know someone who could tell us." He stepped aside, revealing a plaque by one of the doors. _Dr. Baxter Stockman, Stockgen Laboratories, Senior Research Development and Department Head,_ it said.

It didn't take long to find him. There were several more connecting hallways and offices along the route, but true to his ego, Stockman's office was the largest and most lavish of them. They burst in, half-expecting his office to be as deserted as those they'd passed.

But the mad scientist was in attendance after all. Greyer, wrinkled and sporting a few more liver spots than Taylor remembered, his smug smile left no doubt that this was the same Baxter Stockman she'd always known. He stood, reaching for a cane to support himself. "Oh very good getting in here," he said. "How many years have I complained that we didn't have enough security. It's fine for _him_ to sit up on _his_ tower… but where does he stick me? Down here in this hole."

"Stockman!" Leo said. "We've come for our brother!"

Stockman laughed in his face. "Finally figured it out, did you?" He laughed some more. "Took you long enough, didn't it?"

As soon as they'd entered, Taylor had felt pulled to a corner of the room. As far as she could see, there was nothing there but a couple of bookcases. Ignoring the others, she walked to it, placing her hands on the spines of the books. She understood right away. Keeping her hands in place, the books began to tremble beneath.

Leo grabbed the old man by his lapels and slammed him into the wall, abruptly ending the doctor's mad cackling. _"Where is he_!_?"_ he demanded.

Stockman coughed, a dry, raspy sound. "You know… I could've escaped with the others. But when I saw you on the monitors, I was just so curious why you'd come." He began to laugh again. "I'm so glad I stayed."

Leo slammed him into the wall a second time, causing the old man to cry out. "Leo!" Taylor shouted, "I got it, let's go!"

The bookcases had opened to reveal a secret elevator behind. With a growl, Leonardo threw Stockman to the floor and followed in behind the others. Despite the pain, the scientist was still trying to laugh. "Do me a favor, won't you?" he called after them. "Come back up after you've had a chat. I'd love to see the look on your faces!"

Donatello had been ready, already having been alerted to the breach above him. And now he'd heard the elevator operating and was waiting, bo staff in hand, to meet whomever was behind those doors.

The doors slid open, and there was a moment of shock all around. No one said anything for a few seconds.

Mike was the first to exclaim, "Donnie! It really is you!"

Dressed in a white lab coat and wearing glasses, the turtle once known as Donatello lowered his staff slightly in disbelief. These intruders – they looked just like him.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

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	6. Chapter 06

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><p><strong>-chapter 06-<strong>

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><p>.<p>

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><strong>

"Stay back," he warned them, holding up his weapon. "I've already alerted central security – this place will be crawling with soldiers any minute!"

They looked at each other. The room they'd entered wasn't very large, but it appeared to be one of a series of rooms. Immediately visible were a few living arrangements; a kitchen off to one side and another room flashing the artificial light of a television, the sound of the feeds blaring from inside. Scattered around were various pieces of lab equipment, computers, papers – one of the robot soldiers they'd just encountered, offline and sitting half-built in one corner. And there were screens everywhere – screens on the wall, sitting on the desks, even hand-held devices scattered about. Each displayed algorithms and formulas that no one (save Donatello, they assumed) could decipher. All in all, it was as jumbled a mess as Donnie's old lab in the lair had ever been, only with somewhat more sophisticated-looking equipment.

"Donnie, it's us," Leo tried, taking a few steps towards him. "Your brothers. And look." He turned, addressing her. "We found Taylor!"

He didn't look convinced. Taking a few steps back, Don answered, "Doctor Stockman's told me about you. I don't care if we were created in the same experiment, we have nothing to do with each other! I watch the feeds, I know what you do!"

Leo turned and shared a "look" with Raphael. He reached up, adjusting his glasses twice, the eyewear suddenly appearing to bother him. Turning back to Donatello, he asked calmly, "And what is it we do?"

Don gave a stern laugh. "Like you don't know," he said. "You know what I think? You 'revolutionaries' – as you're so fond of calling yourselves – are no better than the gangs that used to overrun our cities. All this unnecessary violence, and for what_!_? Tell me, what's so righteous about taking innocent lives? Do you really think it's justifiable to allow others to die for your 'cause'?"

"No," Leo said. He stepped a little closer. "That's not what we do."

Donatello scoffed. "Huh, save it. I've heard it all. Sure it sounds good, about how you only want to free the people – but free them from what? From a peaceful existence? From _not_ having to worry about bombs dropping down on their heads? Don't kid yourselves. The whole 'resistance' movement is a farce, a way to take power away from the state. _From the master."_

Leo almost choked at that word. There was only one man who could fit that title, and yet he couldn't believe he'd just heard such a thing uttered from his own brother's lips.

Composing himself, Leo took another step. "They've been lying to you. It's not true. Donnie, we're your family – we've come to take you home with us."

Don's eyes shifted amongst them. He threw his staff out and held it in a warning move. "I have no family," he said.

Raphael hit him hard, knocking Donatello out in one swift move. Like a magician carrying the mark's eye, Leo had kept Don's focus on him, while Raph managed to slip around unnoticed. It was an old trick, and thankfully one that Don didn't seem to recall, or maybe he just wasn't ready for it. In any case, Raph had recognized Leo's signal and followed their leader's command, getting into position just as things were escalating between them. Raphael caught Don's body as it sank to the ground, hoisting him up a second later and looking towards their leader for the next move. "Alright Fearless, that's one problem solved," he said. "Now get us outta here."

Leo motioned for them to head back to the elevator. He hadn't detected any other means of leaving this place, what he supposed was where Don had been living all this time. It didn't seem like he was being imprisoned here, and yet Leo wasn't exactly sure that was the truth. It was small, this area; a few rooms, but the echoes told him it wasn't much. And no other exit but into Baxter Stockman's office through a hidden way. It was easier to think on these things rather than the fact that Donatello didn't seem to recognize them in the flesh. Either way, Leo had to drag his thoughts to the present. They had him, that's what mattered, and the tricky part now was going to be getting them all out of here. With one last look around Don's "home", he made himself focus on the task at hand. By Don's own admission, it sounded like the entire Foot guard was on their way to this very location.

Back in Stockman's office, the good doctor was nowhere to be found. Apparently he'd reconsidered his desire for seeing the brothers' faces again and had escaped along with the other personnel. But he hadn't been gone long. Leo cased the room, looking for his heat signature, until he found it radiating from a certain place on the wall. Calling for his sister, she helped him reveal a second hidden way, another elevator built into the office. There were a few choices on the panel inside but none of the floors were marked. They decided to go with the next level up. Leo counted the seconds as they moved, trying to gauge how far they were going. He counted eight, maybe nine floors – that would put them a floor or two above the train depot, but still underground by his calculations.

When the elevator came to a stop, they spilled out into a small room filled with maintenance and cleaning equipment. Immediately, Leonardo went to the door and listened.

"We've got sentries," he told them. "Okay – Mike, you're with me. You two hang back until we give the all clear." With that, he and Mike slipped out.

Raphael set Donatello's body down easily and stretched out the kinks. "Gotta hand it to the geek – I don't think he's been slippin' up on his trainin'. Guy weighs a friggin' ton." He turned to see why she was so quiet and realized right away. A green glow shone from beneath Taylor's hand as she pressed it to her side, the entirety of her focus given to it.

Raph turned back to his unconscious brother instead, shifting him into a more comfortable position. "Sorry, bro," he muttered. "We'll figure all this out once we get ya back." But he wasn't so sure. Was it possible so much time had passed that Don just didn't recognize them? Or had the Foot done something to him?

Before he had too much time to think on it another explosion shook the room, knocking items down around them and threatening to bring down the very shelves too. Raph shot to his feet and held the one closest to his sister, steadying the unit before she was buried beneath it. For her part, she was still entranced, unaware.

He bent next to her, giving her a light slap on the cheek. "Taylor! C'mon little girl, snap out of it! We got trouble!"

Blinking, she said a bit groggily, "You know I hate it when you call me that."

Raphael barely had Donatello up and over his shoulder again before the door was kicked open. _"Gotta go – now!" _yelled Leo.

They flew out the door, tearing down the hall and after their leader. "Should I even ask what the hell happened?" Raph said.

"Ask the pyromaniac back there," Leo grumbled.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know those tanks were full of fuel? They weren't marked!" Mike shouted.

"Mikey, for future reference – when you see huge tanks filled with something, assume what's inside is flammable!" Leo pulled out his communicator and pressed something on it. A second later, a voice came through it.

"_Commander?"_

"Target acquired, we're coming out. Get the team in the tunnels, meet us at the loading zone. If you see hostiles, take them out, but keep it quiet."

"_Copy that."_

Leo tapped on the screen a few times, bringing up the map. "Okay guys, we're getting closer. Raph, I want you behind me – Mike hold your position – and Taylor?" She moved in beside him. "How you doing, you okay? How's your wound?"

"I sealed it, I'm good."

"Okay, I want you up here with me. If you see sentries – those are AI, not human – don't think, just blast them!" He turned his head, addressing the team. "They know we're here, but they don't know where we are. We just need to stay ahead of them!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when they turned a corner and met with a group of guards. Immediately the men opened fire, showering the hallway with the thin bursts of pure energy Taylor had come to know as gunfire in this world. Sparks flew as the beams ricocheted off of the walls. "This way!" Leo shouted, ducking down another connecting hallway. "Mikey – watch our rear!"

Mike chuckled, falling back a step. Reaching into his pack, he yelled out, "You're cute and all Leo, but you know I don't swing that way!" A second later, another explosion rocked the place, causing the way behind them to collapse entirely. The shock wave was so intense, it sent every one of them to the floor for cover.

When the dust settled some, Raph turned to their demolitions guy. "Overdid just a little, doncha think?" Raph snarled at him.

"Hey," Mike answered, "you want pretty, or you want effective?" He was right about that at least; the way behind them had been obliterated in the blast.

"I'm startin' to wonder at the decision to let _you_ have the bombs," Raph said. He checked Don briefly, making sure the unconscious turtle was alright before lifting him up again.

"Let's go, move it!" their leader yelled.

"Pushy, isn't he?" Mike muttered to Raph, as they fell back into formation.

They made it through another two hallways before the sentries finally caught up to them. Larger and clunkier than their soldier counterparts, these robots were humanoid but operated on runners instead of feet. As soon as they were spotted, the sentries sounded a loud, ear-piercing alarm and opened fire on them.

At the head of the group, Leo and Taylor went into action. Leo threw his sword up, trying to deflect the fire from his brothers, and especially off of Raphael who had his hands full. At his side, Taylor knelt and sent a psionic blast at them, knocking the lot of them over. It was good enough to stall the bots while they closed the distance. Within moments they'd finished off the attacking machines.

Pausing to catch his breath, Leonardo put one palm against the wall. Taylor watched him, wondering if that was all it was. She opened her mouth to ask, but he cut her off.

"Our way out should be just below," Leo said, tapping into his device again. "Mikey! Think you can get us through the floor?"

"I'm on it, boss!" Mike pushed open a nearby door, revealing a large office inside. "Gonna need your help for this one, sis." She followed him in. He pulled out a larger, rounder-looking explosive and held it up to her. "It's gonna be faster if we work together. Think you can open me up a hole about this size?"

She nodded, placing her hands on the floor. Trying to tear an opening wide enough by herself would take too long she knew, but their combined effort might just do the trick. The carpet began to ripple slowly and pull away, and finally the concrete beneath started to crack. Eventually she had a fissure large enough to drop the explosive in.

Mike waved her off and tapped the device twice, setting the charge. As he dropped it in, he shouted out, "Better give her some room, guys!" Mike came tearing out of the doorway and joined the others just as the room blew. Once again, a hail of wood and dust and metal bits shot out from the door, but it this time they were free from the shockwave.

Taylor dropped into the newly made opening first, using her powers to shift some of the materials aside. The blast had done most of the work and it didn't take her long. When she was through, she gave them the all clear and dropped down to find that they had indeed made it back to the train depot. Mike followed her down next.

At the top, Leo turned to Raph and asked if he needed help with Donatello. "Nah, I got 'em." Raph told him. "After you – _Commander."_

Leo scowled. Of course Raph had to overhear that. "They're not supposed to be calling me that anymore," he grumbled.

Raphael laughed. Maybe having Leo's lapdogs around as allies wasn't such a bad thing. He had to hand it to his brother, they were disciplined little mutts, after all. As he followed the others in, he got to see the results of that firsthand.

"Jeez, place is a ghost town," Raph said. Where there had been dozens of soldiers casing the floor upon their entry, there were none to be seen now. "Buncha overachievers." He turned to their leader. "Why am I not surprised."

"They're young, and eager." Leo said evenly, but couldn't mask the pride in his voice. Flipping his device closed, he stowed it. "C'mon. They left us another surprise."

Another train was sitting in the station. They ran for it and once again, Raphael wasn't at all surprised at what they found there. Whoever had driven it here was, much like the men moving the cargo, nowhere to be seen. They all scrambled into the engine car.

"Okay, anybody know how to drive this thing?" Leo said, slamming the door shut.

Raphael set his unconscious brother down on the floor of the car easily and stretched. He stepped up to the controls, tapping a few screens. After a moment or two, the train shifted gears.

When he turned, everyone was staring at him. "What?" Raph said. "So it ain't the first train I hijacked, so what?"

Mike busted up laughing. "Lucky for us! Dudes, that was amazing. We are _so_ back. The Foot never stood a chance!"

"We're not out yet." Leo leaned back against the wall, panting a little. Turning to Raphael, he said, "I want you to… get us underground and stop on the other side of the river. I'll tell you when. We should be able to lose them… in the tunnels. We'll be gone before they figure it out."

"Hey, you alright?" Raph asked him.

Every eye was on their leader now. He looked at Taylor, who was knelt down beside Donatello. "H-how's Donnie?" he asked, ignoring Raph's question.

"He's fine, he's still out, but he's breathing – Leo what's the matter?" She was really concerned now. He didn't look good. He was still leaning heavily against the wall and had one arm bent, holding the edge of his coat.

"Think I'm… going to need your help here." Leo pulled his coat away, revealing his shattered midsection.

"Holy shit Leo!" Mike choked.

Taylor was there in an instant, working her magic as quick as she could. He wasn't bleeding much, but his natural armor was blown apart, the stuff inside spilling out from it in places. "Sentries got me... right at the end there," he grunted. "Stupid. I was distracted…"

"Alright, just relax," she told him. They rode the rest of the way in silence, letting her work. She did her best in the time allowed. Raphael pulled the train to a stop underground as instructed, and although Taylor wasn't able to finish working on her brother, she managed to improve his condition considerably. Enough that he'd be able to get back to base she thought, but after witnessing him function in the state he'd been in, she supposed that he would've been stubborn enough to finish the mission with or without her help.

Once they were underground, Leo called April at the base for pickup. She gave him the coordinates to a safe point for extraction and from there they were driven back home. Finally, incredibly, they'd come out of this with their last missing sibling, completing the circle. But no one quite felt the victory yet. Their arrival home was bittersweet; and as they laid Donatello out in their newly-built lair, in the room they'd already (yet tentatively) designated for him, each looked on him anxiously, waiting for him to wake.

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><p>~.~<p>

"You didn't have to hit him so hard. You know that can do lasting damage, and that's not something I can fix. We should've taken him to the infirmary first, let them examine him -"

"Eh," Raph balked at her. "Look, it ain't like we had much of a choice. Plus, I was just _followin' orders."_ He rubbed at the back of his head, wishing that Leo were here to take some of the blame. "If ya don't like it, why don'tcha go gripe at our fearless leader for a while? I been _nagged_ enough today."

Taylor put a hand to her hip and gave him a look. "'Nagged'? Oh that's cute. You know, I think you've been living alone just a little too long. Let me give you some advice – these sexist little jabs of yours? They don't go over so well with women, _Raph."_

He scoffed, shifting in his seat, looking suddenly very uncomfortable. "As if I needed help. I got news for ya, little girl – I ain't got _no problem _in that department."

"That's not what Mikey told me…" she mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

Raphael shot a look of death at his younger brother. "Oh he did, did he? That's funny, considerin' that he has _no freaking idea_ what he's talkin' about." He held his palms up in disbelief. "What, you gonna tell me you been shadowin' me too, or is this just some dumbshit theory of yours?"

Mike was trying not to laugh. "Well, c'mon dude – it's pretty obvious. I mean, you don't see _me_ getting all aggro at the drop of a hat." He gave his brother a saucy grin. "One of the perks of hooking up with a collective, y'know? Group's pretty social. And I don't wanna toot my own horn or nothin', but…" he trailed off, looking at his younger sister. "Well, you know what I sayin'."

Raphael didn't respond. He just pulled one sai and twirled it menacingly, keeping his eye on Mike. "Aw, c'mon Raph," Mike continued. "Don't get crazy. Donnie's right in the other room, you don't want him waking up to the sounds of violence, right? I mean, you know it's gonna piss Leo off and – uh wait, maybe that's not my best argument -"

He was cut short by a sai flying through the air towards him. Mike moved at the last second, the weapon ending up speared through his side pouch and pinning him to the furniture.

"Aw, man…" he groaned, pulling out the weapon. "I'm gonna have to fix that!" He slowly turned towards his sister.

"Don't even ask," she said with a tired look. Unbelievable, she thought. Mikey was just as bad as Raph. "Possessing ovaries doesn't give me a natural affinity for sewing, you know."

Mike opened his mouth to retort with some undoubtedly witty remark, but he was cut short.

"Guys!"

They all turned, startled, to face Leo. "He's awake," he said.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

He blinked back the confusion. "You…" he breathed. He sat up quickly, suddenly understanding. "This isn't my lab – what is this? Where have you taken me_!_?"

"Easy, Don. We just want to talk -"

"I have nothing to say to you!" Donatello shouted. He winced, feeling at the back of his head. "What did you do to me – why did you attack me? And how did you even know where to find me_!_?"

Leo frowned. This was going as badly as he'd feared. Don was acting like he'd never seen them before. What was wrong with him? "Take it easy," he repeated. "It's a long story. But first – do you recognize us at all? Think. Do you know who we are?"

Don eyed them suspiciously. "Of course. Everyone knows who you are. I didn't know you looked just like me, though. I've never seen any pictures, just heard the stories… Dr. Stockman always told me about you, said that there were other mutants, bad ones – ones that fought us, fought the state with the resistance. I know what they say about you on the feeds." His eyes shifted again, accusing.

"Stockman," Leo said under his breath. "That's just more of the Foot's propaganda," Leo said patiently. "We're not your enemy."

"And I suppose friends knock you unconscious and kidnap you?"

"We didn't have no choice," Raph butt in. "You weren't exactly happy to see us. And gettin' in there was bad enough, we wouldn't a had another chance. If ya hadn't pulled the damn _alarms_ on us, maybe we coulda had a conversation."

"Well if you weren't criminals, you wouldn't have had to break in in the first place," Don replied. "I don't know what this is about, but you're wasting your time. If you want the truth – then alright. Even though Dr. Stockman wouldn't tell me, I always suspected that I was somehow related to you. But it doesn't mean anything! I'm not like you, I'd never hurt an innocent – I'm not _evil,_ like you are!"

Leo looked at his brother, hurt. Before he could think of something to say, Raphael busted in again, his patience obviously wearing thin. Pacing a step or two, he said, "This is ridiculous. He ain't even himself anymore! Whatsa matter with you?" he said, turning on Don. "How could ya not remember your own family? Everything we been through together… I bet ya don't even remember Sensei."

"No, I don't! And frankly, I'm starting to doubt this whole elaborate scheme. I'm sure this is some set-up to get me to reveal sensitive information. Well it's not going to happen!"

"_Dammit, _Donnie -"

"And stop calling me that!" he shouted. "My name isn't 'Donnie'!" Every eye was on him now. "After I lost my memory, I chose a name for myself. My name… is _Leonardo."_

Leo's jaw dropped. He couldn't speak at first, his breaths coming in small gasps.

"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Th-that's – that's my name," Leo finally spit out. "You took my name." Leo kneeled by Don's bedside then, the pain evident in his voice. "Donnie… we've missed you so much, you have no idea. All these years, we thought you were dead." He bowed his head a moment, trying to get his bearings. "There has to be something in you, some memory still in there for you to have taken my name as your own. Just think back – remember."

Don looked around, suddenly nervous. "No. No, this is some kind of trick -"

"Listen," Leo told him. "You're not a prisoner. We're not keeping you here against your will. All I ask, is that you hear us out. Just listen to what we have to say and if you still want to go back there, to the Foot – well, we won't stop you."

"Screw that!" Raph shouted. "After all that, we're just gonna hand him back over to 'em? Are you nuts_!_?"

"Raph, calm down," he warned. "Donnie's smart. He'll see we're right."

Leo began with the story as it was thirty years prior. He spoke for a long time, starting with the night Taylor disappeared, telling of their search, of how Donatello became increasingly distant with her gone. He told of the argument they'd had, and how he'd come to find Donatello missing. He told of the days they'd searched; the weeks, months and eventually years that passed in his absence. He told of how he, Leonardo, had never personally been able to accept it.

"One thing we did know," Leo said, the truth written all over his face, "was that you didn't willingly abandon us. I never once believed that." He turned to face Raphael. "None of us believed that."

Don didn't speak, he just listened to Leo talk. No one else interrupted or added anything. There was something about their leader, the way he sounded, that brought the years of heartache through. He'd always felt the loss of Donatello the hardest perhaps, partly due to his feeling responsible, but partly because they'd been so close. The two of them had planned every strategy and attack together, had bonded the most in their interests. It was Leo that gave his brother the most praise for his inventions, the most encouragement for his studies. And when Leo was at odds with anyone or anything, it was Don he came to for advice. When Donatello had disappeared, he'd taken with him a part of his older brother, a friendship that Leonardo could never replace.

Leo went on to tell of their sorrow at losing not just one, but two members of their family, their clan broken apart. He told of the impact it had, not just on him, but the others. He spoke of the small things, disruptions in their daily life and the implications of not having their house engineer around. But mostly he told of the regret: his, his brothers', his father's; and the painful acceptance of knowing they'd never again return to the life they'd once known.

But he also related other, happier stories, mostly from when they were children. How they played together, how Don built things around the lair, how Mikey got into everything in his lab (and often paid for it). How Don was always there to back them up in a fight. He spoke of their master and father, the old rat that had taken them in and his struggle, and joy, at raising them. How he taught them everything he knew, and loved them like he would his own blood.

When Leo finished, the room was silent. Don bit at his lip. "Well," he said, his voice sounding very small, "if this is all a lie, then I have to say it's a very convincing one."

"So you don't remember anything?" Mike asked.

He shook his head. Don, much more subdued now after Leo's speech, just looked confused and slightly apologetic. It was such an ordinary expression, one he'd made so often, it was almost too much for his siblings to watch.

"Maybe I can help."

Everyone turned to look at her. Clearing her throat, Taylor elaborated. "Well, my powers worked once. Maybe I can get inside his head again."

Leo looked hopeful. "You really think it might help?"

She smiled sadly at him, repeating his same logic from before. "It can't hurt," she said.

She came over to the bed and sat down gently next to him. Peering behind him, she inspected the small lump at the base of his skull. "First, let me heal you."

"W-wait," Don stammered, "what are you going to do? Did you say, 'powers'? As in, what – _supernatural _powers'? There's no such thing…"

"Sure there is." She shrugged. "How do you think we found you?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but had none. He was a well-kept secret after all. "Uh – will it hurt?" was all he could think to ask.

She smiled at him sweetly and shook her head. "Just relax," she told him. Placing her hand on the back of his head, they watched as she entered her trance, the familiar green glow emerging from behind Don's skull. It didn't take long. Within a few minutes, she came to and asked him how he felt.

He touched at where the wound had been. "Incredible," he breathed. "I don't understand, h-how is this possible?"

With a somewhat sad look, she answered, "It's hard to explain. But if this works, I won't have to." She looked at the others briefly, for support. Taking a deep breath, she told him, "Donnie? I'd like to try and help you get back some of your memory. Will you let me?"

Still unsure, he said, "I don't know… it's true I don't remember anything up to a point. When Dr. Stockman found me, he said he didn't know where I came from, or why I was there. He took pity on me, kept me a secret… I couldn't exactly reveal myself, thanks to the public opinion concerning mutants." He cleared his throat. "Anyways. I guess I'd be lying if I said I haven't wondered all of these years. I just – I don't know if I'm ready to accept all of this. How do I know you're not trying to… well, brainwash me, or something?"

"Please Donnie," she said, taking his hand. "I promise we mean you no harm. You're our brother, we love you." Her lip quivered. "Please," she said above a whisper, "let me try and help."

He looked at her deeply, unable to detect anything but genuine concern there. This was all so confusing. Looking around the room, the same – he shouldn't be trusting these people, they were the enemy – and yet, something told him that there was nothing to fear here. Maybe it was the years of questioning, searching for some answer to his origin. He didn't know, but looking into her eyes, this young, innocent girl – he felt himself unable to refuse her. "Okay," he said, giving in.

The others looked on anxiously as Taylor laid her hand on his temple, exactly in the same way she had with Leo the night on the rooftop. She was gone immediately, blocking out everything around her and focusing her energy on her task. There was no levitation this time, but the dark, swirling aura enveloped her – and then him – once again. And as she was given over to the trance, so was Donatello. Both of them shared a similar, haunting and far-away look, their expressions those of individuals who were seeing something else, something the others (save Leonardo) couldn't fathom. The dark wisps of energy began to pick up speed, moving their clothes and causing her long, ebony hair to whip around. The power radiating from her was an awesome sight, one that her brothers found themselves in awe of, no matter how many times they witnessed it.

She searched his mind. There was a dark place inside of him, a wound, she could feel it there. But was there nothing inside? She pushed harder, peeling back the layers. There – she saw it. Memories hidden, but not gone. She reached for them, pulling them to the forefront, forcing them to come back to where they belonged.

Much like Leo's experience, right away Don's head exploded in images. At first he didn't understand them, as if he were watching a film starring these beings that had brought him here. But slowly, it started to make sense. He recognized these things, they started to become more real, more personal – and then, it happened.

All at once, Donatello's body seized. He gasped, his breathing erratic. "I remember," he moaned, _"oh god - I remember…"_

The others head their breaths, watching as their brother, a stranger just moments before, transformed into the being they once knew. As the room came back into focus for Donatello, his saw them in a new light, the realization overwhelming him completely. He squeezed his eyes tight, tears streaming from them. Over and over, he repeated, _"I remember everything… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"_

They crowded around him, laughing, hugging him, their relief immeasurable. Finally, Donatello was back. Donnie was back and they were a team again.

.

.

.


	7. Chapter 07

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* * *

><p><strong>-chapter 07-<strong>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.**  
><strong>

"It's been two and a half, almost three years since I was last outdoors," he said. "Every once in a while I would sneak out one of the air vents on the upper levels. There was a place, a rooftop garden for some of the employees in the business offices." Donatello breathed in deep, looking over the other buildings from under their protective awning. A small, wireless radar blipped close by, showing no signs of nearby drones. "Every time I was up there, I used to imagine myself running across the rooftops, leaping between buildings. I never knew why."

She could hear the regret in his voice. In a way, Taylor almost understood how it felt. But where she was blessed with the ignorance of time passing, her genius brother was lost to it, having awoken from this nightmare thirty years older.

"I'm sorry," she said, the only thing she could think to say. "I'm so sorry, Donnie. I feel like it's my fault. They captured you because you were looking for me."

"No," he said right away. "No, don't think that." Older he looked, but much more normal to her. Upon regaining his memory, he'd immediately removed his lab coat and glasses and sought out his old gear. He was even wearing his mask again, the purple tails of it twisting over one another in the wind as he spoke. He stood now with his staff planted in the ground, holding it as he often had, as one would hold a walking stick. He shrugged. "It's okay, I'm adjusting I guess. It's strange, looking back over my life like it belonged to someone else. God, Taylor – so much has changed. You're back. Sensei's gone. The other guys are… so different. Everything is so different. And the years wasted there, working for _them…"_ His bitterness at it was not lost on her. He took another deep breath, shaking it off. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad to be free, finally. Thank you," he said to her, looking through her. "Thank you so much, for giving me my mind back."

She laid a gentle hand down on his arm. "Oh Donnie, I'm so glad you're back with us. I can't even tell you what it means to us all." Her eyes welling, she leaned forward and hugged him tight. When they broke, he smiled at her. "So," he said, "I've heard quite a lot about you and how you showed up. Incredible, I must say – but I guess you and I are in the same boat, in a way. Of course, I at least had knowledge of the outside world. So tell me – do you really not remember anything over the last three decades?"

She shook her head sadly. "It's like I went to sleep one day and woke up here the next."

He studied her. "Interesting. I remember a grant went out – oh, many years ago now. Stockgen, as much as I hate to give them credit, has always been very_ creative_ in some of their undertakings. I used to pick through a lot of their old studies, just to pass the time." He looked at her suddenly, very intense. "I remember one, it was on trans-dimensional travel, based on the multiverse theory..." After a second, he shook his head. "Well, forget it. It was a long time ago. If there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that the world is mysterious and sometimes unexplainable." He laughed softly. "I think even under normal circumstances, you're a testament to that."

She smiled at him. Her abilities always had always left her more analytical brother scratching his head. "How's the new lab coming along?" she asked.

"Slowly," he sighed. "I won't say I miss Stockgen, but I do miss having unlimited resources." He took a few steps out, looking over the city with his back to her. He stayed that way for a while, deep in thought. When he turned to face her again, she could see something was wrong. "About that," he said. "There's something we need to talk about."

She didn't like his tone, either. "What is it?" she asked timidly.

He began, sounding as if he'd already recited what he was about to say. "Please understand, I don't want to appear ungrateful in any way. I know what you all went through to rescue me from that place, and I can _never _thank you enough. These past few weeks have been incredible, being back here with all of you. Even though things have changed, a lot of things – especially between us – still feels the same." He sighed. "When I was first captured, before I they took my memory… I didn't think I'd ever see you guys again. But I uh…" he stalled, biting his lip. "I don't know if I can stay here."

"What?" She looked at him like he was crazy, unsure if she'd heard that right. "What do you mean, why_!_?"

"I told you about how Stockman lied to me. How he experimented on me, erased parts of my mind." He dropped his eyes, unable to look at her. "You see, what I said before was true. I lived there in secret, hidden from the Shredder. Only Stockman and few of his trusted people knew of me. What I didn't tell you was _why_ he kept me there."

"It doesn't matter," she said, afraid she knew what he was hinting at. "Whatever they made you do, it wasn't your fault."

"You don't understand!" he shouted, startling her. "Stockman used me. He took my designs and presented them as his own. It was me – I'm behind all of their tech, all of their weaponry!" He looked away again, sickened. "Without me, the Foot never would have risen to power. This war – all of the lives lost, everything that's happened over the years – I'm responsible for all of it!"

Taylor shook her head, at a loss. "No… it's – that can't all be true -"

"It's true. You weren't around when this war began. The Shredder spent years amassing a fortune, making friends in high places. Building an army. But he didn't have the technology. I changed that. Stockman took my memory, convinced me that what we were doing was good, that we were trying to achieve a better world." Don shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe I let them pull the wool over my eyes. And for so long.

"I walk around this place now and I see the results of that. The men and women here, the ones who have been fighting for their freedom – they're here, because of me. They've lost loved ones, because of what I did. How I can look them in the eye?" He swallowed painfully. "It's me, Taylor. I'm the bad guy. I did this." He looked out over the city, taking it all in. "All of this. It's all my fault."

"If you created their tech, then you should know how to get around it."

They turned to see Leonardo leaning on the doorway. He stood unmoving, like a statue of himself that had appeared out of nowhere. "We could use someone with that sort of knowledge," he added.

Donatello looked at him for a long minute before shaking his head. "Don't you understand what I'm saying? Everything we've lost – our friends, _our father_ – I'm responsible for bringing it about. If only I hadn't been so stubborn, gone off on my own…" He stopped there, consumed by the shame of it.

Taylor listened on, speechless. Had Donnie really built all of the incredible technology she'd seen here? The robots, the drones, the amazing weapons and vehicles? She guessed it wasn't too much of a stretch. He'd built an entire, hidden, subterranean lair from scratch in his youth; yet she was still impressed to see what he'd accomplished here. Impressed, but saddened. She couldn't even imagine the guilt he must feel. How she hated them, right then – Stockman, the Shredder, the Foot – all of them, for doing this to him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's not right of me to be here, not after what I've done. I thought about helping, joining you – but it's not enough to keep hitting them little by little. I can't be responsible for any more death. My machines… all they've done is perpetuate this unwinnable war."

"Then let's win it," Leo said.

Don frowned at him. "How?"

"Remove the head and the other parts cannot sustain."

"You don't mean -?"

"Yes." Leo finally broke his stance, stepping towards them. With a cold, calculated air, he said, "This has gone on long enough. We're going to take out the Shredder, once and for all."

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

"Obviously, our biggest problem has always been getting past their security," Leo began. He'd called them all into Donatello's lab (still incredibly lacking in equipment according to Don, but for which he'd at least secured a few computers) to discuss the plan of assassinating their greatest enemy. After a minor bit of grumbling from Raphael over how that hadn't worked out the first few times they'd tried, it really hadn't taken much convincing, Raphael included, to get them all on board. Having Donatello back after his extended stay with the Foot certainly did change the game in that respect.

"They've always been a step ahead of us," Leo continued, "but I think that's about to change." He turned, giving the floor to Donatello.

"Well I do have a few tricks up my sleeve." He pulled out a small pocketknife. "Rather literally, at that." Feeling around on his forearm, he found the right spot. With a grunt he pushed the blade in, breaking the skin. After a moment or two of squeezing the cut, a small capsule popped out. "They actually outsourced a lot of this stuff," he explained. "Though the people they outsourced it _to_ are no longer in business, if you know what I mean. In my free time, I used to hack into the internal systems and security features to test them. You know, just for fun."

"Yeah, sounds like a blast," Mike deadpanned.

"Anyways," Don continued, ignoring him, "lucky for us, I know how to access and disable most of their minor security features without being detected. Now as for the bigger features… well, we're going to need to plan that out a little more, but I've got some ideas on that too."

Raph shrugged, unimpressed. "I dunno, didn't seem all that hard when we were gettin' you outta there. Got pretty far at least, before uh, – y'know, things hit the fan." He finished off quickly, remembering it was his actions that activated the robot army they'd tangled with.

"Actually," Don said with a smirk, "you guys set off _two_ alarms – and that was _before_ you made it to the Droid Soldier storage unit. Silent ones, but they were up on my screens. I was monitoring your approach the whole time." He chuckled a little. "Lucky for you, you stayed on the move. And of course my quarters were off the grid."

While they'd been talking, Donatello had opened the small capsule he'd pulled from his arm and removed a tiny chip. Fitting it into another small device, he plugged it into the nearest computer. "This," he told them, "has every password and access key to everything in the place. Not bad, eh?"

"I'm impressed," Leo said. "What else have got for us?"

"What you want? Pretty much all of my work is here. I could reproduce just about anything I've built, though that would take some time. More importantly, some of the results of my… _extracurricular_ activities are here. I have blueprints of the building, security access codes, private email accounts… I could even get in and tell you what the Shredder is having for dinner."

"Okay, that's a pretty good start." Leo chuckled. "Let's settle in then. Looks like it's going to be a long night."

Mike put his hand to his ear. "What's that you say, Leo? You're gonna need someone to play video games while you guys go over this boring crap? I dunno dude, sounds like a big job – I think I'm gonna need some backup on that." He looked at the other two with a grin.

"Count me in," Raph said, already heading to the kitchen for refreshments.

Taylor looked at Don and Leo, making sure it was alright. "Go on," Leo told them. "We'll call you in if we need you."

"Alright," she said to Mike, heading in the direction of their living room. "But I don't want to hear a bunch of _crying_ this time when you lose..."

Mike groaned, following her out. "And _so_ the shit-talking begins…"

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

Hours later found three siblings snoring on the couches, the other two still bathed in the glow of Don's multiple computer screens. Seated at the desk, Donatello tapped into a handheld device at his side, taking notes while Leo leaned over his shoulder.

"One thing I've got to thank Stockman for, he wasn't careful about the things he said in front of me. The man is rather fond of complaining, especially where his employers are concerned. Every time he had to go upstairs, I usually had to hear about it." Don manipulated a 3D map on a large screen in front of them, sliding sections of it into place. "So, not only can I tell you where the Shredder is, I'm confident I can tell you when the best time to attack will be. His schedule varies, but there were select times when the 'master' wasn't to be bothered." He moved around a few more things, taking Leo's hand and moving it to the correct points. "Here. In this area should be his private quarters. If we get to these levels unseen, we might have a chance."

"Good." Leo sounded hopeful. "Now how do we get up there?"

"Off the top of my head? I'm thinking an aerial approach. There's a large helipad up there, it would put us pretty close to him. If we could get into one of their hangars and hijack one of the FT-226s, we'd be gold. Those models have a cloaking tech that's only recognizable by their instruments. However, once I have the ID on it I could remove it from their system. That way, we'd be able to fly in under their radar as well."

"What happens once we land, though?" Leo asked.

"Our cover will be blown the second we exit the craft. But we should be close enough that it won't matter. I'll have most of their security features offline before we touch down." He again pointed Leo to the screen. "There are a few areas here designated for service – cargo elevators and stairwells – we should be able to clear the last few floors that way. Once we reach that section," he said, pointing again at some of the uppermost levels, "I have no idea what to expect. Everyone who's met with the Shredder in person there, including Stockman, has never seen the way in."

"What? How?"

"They're blindfolded and escorted by his personal guard. So, I guess his guard are the only ones that know, but good luck getting them to talk."

"Blindfolded," Leo said, finding it a little hard to believe.

"I know," Don said, chuckling. "Very old school. But sometimes the simplest way is the most efficient. It's certainly been proven so in this regard." He yawned, finally feeling the late hour catching up to him. "So what do you think?" he asked.

Leo mulled it over. "I think we have the bones of a solid plan here. We'll have to tweak a few of the details, but this evening has been more productive that I expected." He stepped forward, putting a heavy hand down on Donatello's shoulder. Quietly, he said, "It's good to have you back, brother."

Don smiled. "Thanks, Leo."

After a few moments Leo stretched and said, "Better turn in now. Tomorrow you begin sparring with us."

"Oh boy. Why do I feel worried, all of the sudden?"

Leo laughed. "You should. I'm making you go up against Raph first."

With that, he left for his room. Don lingered just a moment longer, watching him go. It had been a good night, they'd gotten started on a real strategy and he felt like they might actually do this. But more than that, it was reminiscent of the old days, sitting and planning with his older brother, inking out the details of an assault on the Foot. Their operations back then had been on a much smaller scale, but it didn't change facts. Leo had been right. Instead of turning tail and leaving them in disgrace, Don could see now that this was the right path. This is where he belonged, with his siblings, ready to fight by their side.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

They spent the next few weeks in preparation, planning and training and readying themselves for what was to come. Leo was happy to see that Donatello's fighting skills hadn't tapered off much over the years. He'd inherently shown the ability to fight after losing his memory, his body seeming to remember what his brain could not. What's more, he'd felt a pull, a need to continue a regimen of daily training though he'd never understood why.

But one thing their genius hadn't had the benefit of was sparring practice; his robots being a mediocre challenge at best. For one, the technology didn't allow for the bots to be as strong in melee attack, being designed to rely quite a bit on their guns. And of course, having built them himself, Donatello knew their weak points. However, as the old adage of riding a bike goes, so too did Donatello find this particular experience. After a few weeks of intense practice with his siblings (many spent one-on-one with their leader), he was once again a formidable opponent. He spent these days dividing his time between plotting their attack and concentrating on his physical ability.

As Taylor walked softly through their lair one night making ready to turn in, she caught the sound of snoring coming from Don's lab and saw him hunched over his desk, the lack of sleep apparently having won him over. She smiled. It was funny, how little time it had taken for them to slip back into these roles, into what she remembered them as. Mike goofed around with her, played video games with the fervor he'd always had. Raph and Leo bickered and butted heads over things that only seemed important to the two of them, only to be seen laughing together or sparring hours later. Don back in his lab, tinkering and plotting away.

But there were differences too. They were older, more mature in a lot of aspects. They'd all been affected by the years of constant war. Though he joked and played around more than he did when she'd first arrived here, Mike's overall attitude was far less lighthearted than she remembered. Raphael was rarely optimistic, especially when it came to anything involving the Foot. Donatello avoided situations where other people were involved, his years spent in isolation at Stockgen, perhaps coupled with the guilt he carried over his role there, having made him much more agoraphobic. Leo, in addition to a heightened sense of spirituality, was ever focused on war and war strategy; at times it was almost as if nothing else existed to his personality.

She missed them, the way they were. She missed them being her age, on the same level with her. Now she felt like a kid to them, an outsider. She wondered if that would change. If_ she_ would change. They were getting ready to enter into the fight of their lives, to face off with the most dangerous of enemies. Assuming they lived through it, what if they didn't succeed? Her brothers had tried this many times and failed already. Could she adjust to this world, as her brothers had?

She tried not to think about it. She was happy to be with them, happy that they were all together again. But Taylor couldn't imagine a future like this. They'd already lost so much, she couldn't bear to watch anything worse come down on them. In her heart, silently, she reached out to their father and sensei, begging him for guidance. She wondered if he was watching over them somehow.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

The weather had called for snow, the first of the year, but they were yet to see it. The night was too warm for it, a thing in their favor and a good sign, Leo had pointed out to them. It was a small boost to the morale, but a boost nonetheless. They had picked the night of the new moon for added invisibility and in accordance with what Donatello was sure would be the right time to attack, they made their move.

Getting into the hangar was easy. Enlisting the help of the Nighthawks once again, they masked their thievery with a frontal assault, letting Leo's old team face off with the Foot in what seemed like just another attack by forces of the resistance. Once inside the aircraft, Donatello jacked into the system and did as he'd said, taking it off of their radar. In the chaos, the Foot were unable to follow them. Within minutes, they'd entered the airspace above the city, undetectable by anyone.

"Remember, once we touch down," Leo told them, "we move for the main entry. We take out anyone in the way, and _keep moving._ It's essential we continue to move forward."

Immediately upon exiting the craft, alarms could be heard. It was just as Donatello had predicted. The helipad was large, but luckily offered a lot of cover. Right away shots were fired from several directions, but Taylor and her brothers managed to dodge their way around it. Instead of dealing with the ones responsible, they heeded Leonardo's advice and stayed on the move, making for the service area that Donatello was sure would take them up to the Shredder's area of the city's tallest skyscraper. They made it through most of the first floor before the guards arrived. These were the Shredder's personal guard, again, as Donatello predicted, here to defend their master's quarters. Another good sign, it meant that they were headed in the right direction.

Still referred to as the Shredder's _elite,_ they were dressed a bit differently than what Taylor remembered, although one thing gave them away; they still wore the same style of wide, straw hats reminiscent of samurai in the feudal Japan era, just as they had in Taylor's time. And just as strange, they fought not with guns or weapons of this era, but kept on with traditional ninja weaponry, taking a page out of her and her brothers' book. Part arrogance perhaps, or a certain code they adhered to. One that they could afford to, as Taylor and her brothers came to find.

After a short brawl with several, they made it through quickly to the service stairwell. There again, before they could get very far, they were attacked by another brigade of the same elite warriors. And again, per Leo's instruction, they fought them back just enough to keep on moving forward, not wanting to give them too much time, the element of surprise ever a factor here.

Donatello had it narrowed down to a couple of floors. So far, they'd checked a few but briefly; there were signs there that told their genius to keep moving, the foremost being too few guards, too little security. It would take some luck, sure – but Donatello was confident that they would know when they were getting close. And the way things were going, that theory was proving correct. As they moved upwards, more and more elite soldiers filtered in behind them, slowing their ascent.

Finally, in the cramped stairwell, Raphael had had enough. Last in line, he turned, blocking the way with his body. He shouted up towards the others.

"_I'll hold 'em back! Get goin'!"_

Leo cursed under his breath. He didn't like the idea of them being separated in the first place, but there was no way Raphael was going to last very long against so many on his own. Still, the elites were slowing them down. "Taylor, Don – move up!" he shouted up at them. "Start securing the next landing. Mike, with me!" With that he headed back down to assist Raphael.

"Let's go!" Don said to his sister. They tore up the remaining three levels to an unmarked door. Taylor placed both palms flat on it, undoing the lock. The second they entered, a series of shurikens dug into the floor at their feet. "Get down!" Don shouted, grabbing Taylor and hurling her back through the door. A moment later, the projectiles exploded behind them, sending them both skidding down the stairwell.

Dazed, Taylor looked up just in time to see several elites in the cloud of dust. "Head's up!" she yelled to her brother. She put her hands up, sending a psionic wave at them but they were too fast; several dodged at the last moment, descending upon them. Donatello was on his feet and facing off with a couple, while a third leaped down the stairs towards his sister.

A long, bladed staff whisked over Taylor's head. With unbelievable speed, her arm shot out and grabbed the wood of the weapon, shattering it to bits. The stunned guard had little time to react before she kicked him. They traded a few blows, the guard pushing her back slowly down the stairs. He was trying to separate them, she realized. With a quick look towards Donatello, she saw why. He was already holding off two, but another slipped through the doorway even as she watched.

He needed her help. Ducking another attack, she grabbed the elite's arm and held it tight. A second later he screamed as the bone inside fractured. It was enough to distract him. She kicked him hard, pitching him the rest of the way down the stairs. Without a moment's hesitation, she sent another blast upwards, knocking a couple to their feet. Rushing to her brother's side, she could see he was cut up some and bleeding from a few places.

"Are you okay?" she asked, amidst the fight. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, nothing serious," he said. He smashed the end of his staff into the temple of another guard, sending the man flying over the bannister with a yell. "What about the others, are they coming?"

No sooner had Donatello asked when Leo and Raph came tearing up the stairs. _"Everybody move!"_ Leo shouted.

As they reached the top, Raphael whirled around. "Where's Mikey_!_?"

As soon as he said it, an incredible explosion rocked the place, collapsing the stairwell below them. Coughing back the dust, Raphael, closest to the destruction, took a step towards it. "Mikey!" he yelled again.

There was no answer. As his siblings looked on in horror, the dust started to settle, revealing the truth. Everything below them was a disaster, a mess of steel, plaster and concrete. Michelangelo was nowhere to be seen.

Raphael stepped down as far as he could, placing his hands on the rubble, still shouting Mike's name.

"Raph."

Raphael turned to them in a panic. "Taylor!" he shouted up at her. "Get down here, move this stuff -!"

Taylor couldn't move, she was frozen to the spot. Even if she knew where to begin, it would take forever to shift things around enough to find him. And by the looks of it, nothing could have survived.

"Raph," Leo tried again. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "We have to keep moving."

Raphael looked like he was about to argue some more, but he couldn't. Leo was right. He hung his head, hardly able to believe it. Michelangelo, his little brother – he was gone.

"What are you guys doing out here?"

Standing the closest, Donatello blinked, exclaiming, "Mikey! You're alive!" He threw an arm around Mike's shell, laughing.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged. "I came up the elevator shaft, it was quicker." Looking down at the other two, he remarked, "Oh you guys thought I got nailed? Wait a minute – Raph, are you _crying_ down there?" An enormous grin crept over his face.

Raph's look of joy immediately turned to a more familiar, annoyed one. "I ain't cryin'," he spat.

Mike was cracking up. "Aw, Raphie. I never knew you cared!"

With an amiable slap to his brother's shell, Leo cut Raph off before it could go much further. "Alright guys. We're not out of this yet," he said. He ran back up to the landing and through the door, everyone following behind. "Stay sharp, I have a feeling things are about to get interesting!"

They followed him into a long, lavish room decorated in a Japanese theme. The sound of water was everywhere, coming from several fountains and pools, almost soothing amongst the chaos. They hurried along with Leonardo at the head, watching close for any attempt at ambush. Things were quiet. It was suspicious, and none of them trusted it, their leader least of all. As they neared the end, Leo held up a hand, slowing them. He called for Raphael, asking that he scout the next room.

As Raph stepped in, he saw more of the same décor, but this room was very large. On one side was a wall of plated glass, leading to a long balcony overlooking the city. Much like the room before, it looked extravagant, but even more so; large oil paintings adorned the walls, accompanied by ancient-looking statues of samurai lining a path through the center of the room. At the end of the path was a dais, on which sat a low, long table over a bamboo mat. Great, oil-burning lamps lit the room. A very old, Japanese style overall, yet there was evidence of modern things here. Electronic devices sat on the table, visual screens on the walls and more than one station in the room existed where computers of various types were housed. All in all, this place had the feel of importance. This was a meeting room, a formal room, and the one Raphael guessed that the Shredder must do his business in.

And strangely, it was empty. Wary, but not sensing anything immediately amiss, Raphael called the others in. Almost immediately, Leonardo rushed forward and entered a defensive stance.

"Alright, stay on your toes, we can do this!" Leo suddenly shouted, holding his sword at the ready.

The others looked at each other in confusion. "Leo – what the hell are ya talkin' about -"

Just then, Raphael shifted at the last second, sensing the attack. He cried out, his cheek bleeding suddenly from some invisible force.

Everyone shifted into action. Leo was already facing off with something, though they couldn't see what. Don shouted, "I probably should've mentioned that I was working on a prototype for cloaking armor!"

"Oh ya think?" Raph said, jabbing his sais out wildly in all directions. "Yeah Don, that woulda been good information to have!"

"Well – it wasn't complete!" Don said, surprised. "It certainly wasn't ready to be implemented. I'm guessing Stockman must have finished my research, though I'm surprised he – _oof!"_ he cried, taking an unseen blow to the head. Recovering quickly, Don cut his explanation short, having to pour the entirety of his focus into the fight.

They fought the mysterious ninjas as best they could. Only Leonardo seemed to be making any ground with them. "This is impossible!" Mike shouted. "How the heck can we fight something we can't see?"

"Focus on your other senses!" Leo told them. "Clear your mind! Concentrate! Their sounds give them away, you can feel the air shift around their movements!"

"Easy for you to say!" Mike grunted, taking a kick to the abdomen. "You've had – what? Twenty-some odd years more practice than the rest of us_!_?" He yelled out again, skidding to the ground on his shell. Next to him, Raphael joined him on the floor, coming down hard.

Things were going bad, and fast. Taylor sent out psychokinetic waves all around them, hoping that they were hitting their mark. She could hear a few of them getting knocked back, but it was obvious many of their enemies were making it through. She heard Raphael again, yelling obscenities as he took a nasty wound to the leg. A minute later it was Donatello's turn, as he fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. If Leonardo hadn't been there, a ghostly blade would have taken the genius's head right off.

She tried to think. There had to be some way to give them an advantage over these guys. Just then, something hit her from behind, knocking her forward. Before she could recover, another blow came from in front, and though she was able to block it somewhat, the force of it sent her off of her feet. Again, Leo was there, blocking another invisible blade from running her through. "Guys, I need you all to focus, I can't hold them back myself!" he yelled out, moving to assist Mike a moment later.

There, in that split second lying on her back, it hit her. Taylor shot to her feet, falling back a step and taking refuge between her brothers. Almost immediately, the sprinklers up above started to pop and burst one by one, raining a steady mist of water down and revealing the invisible foes.

"Alright! Nice work, sis!" Mike yelled, leaping onto the nearest enemy.

It didn't take long for them to put down the rest after that. Finally, as they were knocking back the last of them, Leo grabbed one by the throat.

"Where is the Shredder_!_?" Leo screamed into his face. "Tell me!"

"Gone," the disembodied voice said. It choked out a small laugh. "You are too late."

With a growl, Leo finished him off and tossed his body to the floor. "Donnie, what now? Where do we go?"

"Hold on," Don said, pulling out a device. Tapping away at the screen, he added, "Okay, I need to get into the system here. Give me a minute." He went over to the nearest terminal. Quickly he plugged his device into the computer there. "I'm know we're in the right place… I just have to figure out where _he_ is…"

Leonardo came to his brother's side. After a minute or two, Donatello drove his fist down into the table. "Dammit!" he cried. "That coward!"

"What, what is it?" Leo asked.

Ripping his portable device from the computer, Donatello rushed for the balcony. "They're airlifting him out of here! Bastard didn't even wait a second – he started running as soon as he knew we were here!"

They followed him outside, immediately hearing the sound of a large aircraft on the helipad below. They rushed over, peering down the edge. They were eight stories up and the way was smooth; there were no other balconies or ledges below. The noise here was too loud to speak, so Leo waved them back towards the doors.

Back where he could be heard, Leo asked, "Is there another way down?"

"Not that I know of," Don answered him. "We can't go back the way we came, and by the time we figure it out, it's going to be too late."

"Then we'll bomb it!" Leo turned towards his youngest brother. "Mikey, get over here!"

But Don was shaking his head. "It won't work," he said, sounding bitter. "That's his personal craft. It's shielded by an electromagnetic field that operates on quantum mechanical principle. Once we isolated the graviton particle, it was a just a matter of harnessing it."

"In English, Donnie!"

"I mean, we're screwed! Nothing can get through that barrier, not even explosives will have an impact! It's designed to be impenetrable!"

They looked on, unbelieving. "Dammit," Leo swore. "We were so close."

They stood there for a few seconds in defeated silence. Now that the Foot knew that Donatello was back with them, it wouldn't take much for them to discover how the brothers had bypassed their security. Once they took measures to re-secure their systems, it would be much more difficult for their genius to decipher the codes. Don had been quite clear, as they were planning this attack, that they'd likely never get another chance like this again.

"What happens if you touch the shield?" said a voice, breaking the silence.

Don looked at his sister, a little taken aback by her question, but he answered nonetheless. "It would repel you. It uses gravity to force away any particles, it would be like a reverse gravitational pull. So it would feel like you were being pushed back. You could get within a few feet of the shield, but that's as far as you would get."

A few feet was all she would need. She took a few steps forward, judging the distance.

"Taylor? What is it?" Leo asked.

She turned back to face them. "I abandoned you guys once," she shouted over the din, "and for that, I'm sorry. If I hadn't disappeared, we wouldn't have lost Donnie, you guys might not have separated – we would've fought the Foot together. Who knows, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this.

"Since I've been back, I've seen what this place has done to you, to all of you. Nothing has made me happier than to see all of you reunite again. But I can't let you continue to live like this. Just promise me – _swear to me_ – that you'll stick together." She shifted her look to them, one by one. "Promise me you'll look out for one another, that you'll never let anything come between you. Please. Do this for me."

"Taylor, what are you talking about – _what are you doing_!_?"_

She took a step backwards. "Goodbye. My brothers."

She ran as fast as she could, ignoring their shouts behind her. She prayed that she was going to make it.

Her telekinetic powers didn't allow her much distance. The closer she was to her target, the more effective her powers would be. From the ledge, she'd known that she was out of range. And even if she could have figured out a way to reach the helipad, the craft would be airborne by the time she got there. This was the only way.

Taylor leapt off of the ledge with her heart in her throat; for a few seconds she fell, free and fast, picking up a monstrous amount of speed as she went. For a moment, she was afraid that Donatello had been wrong, or that maybe she'd misunderstood what he meant, that the shield wasn't going to stop her descent after all. Then, a second before she hit the top of the craft, her body began to slow in mid-air until it came to a stop just a few feet above it. There, hovering, she attempted to get her bearings. It was a strange sensation floating there, her arms and legs outstretched. But there was no time to waste. The craft was thankfully still making preparations to leave and was rising upwards at a slow rate. Taylor brought her hands together and started to concentrate.

She'd never felt a force resist her quite like this one. There was something especially strange about it, as if the shield was pulling at her, doing something to her. She ignored the sensation and tried to envision the particles, the _gravitons_ as he'd called them, moving and shifting to her will. But it was difficult. She didn't think she was going to be able to remove the barrier, but if she could just get inside of it, it would be good enough.

After a few tense moments of not being sure she would even achieve that, Taylor finally started to feel her body lower. The shield parted, allowing her to sink inside and on top of the craft. She pressed herself to the metal just as the aircraft picked up speed, lifting high above the ledge where her brothers now watched, collectively holding their breaths.

Her home, a warzone. Her friends and family gone, her brothers disfigured and discouraged. They did this, _he_ did this – the one inside this craft. How the world had changed. People everywhere, living in fear and sorrow. She wasn't going to let him cause any more suffering.

Taylor concentrated every bit of her effort on the vehicle below her. As it continued to ascend above the buildings, she could feel the panels begin to shake, could hear the groan of metal twisting and bolts popping. Warning sounds came from inside, alarms going off and men shouting. She tore through a small portion of the ceiling, wanting to look in, to make sure he had no opportunity to escape.

That was indeed what the Shredder had in mind. She watched with some satisfaction as he kicked at the door, trying to dislodge it. She concentrated more of her effort there, buckling the metal together, making sure he stayed inside. Frantically, the man known as Oroku Saki, the Master, the one responsible for the misery of so many, turned to see what was causing this impossible phenomenon.

It was then, as their eyes met, that she started to feel it. The overwhelming surge of power, building until it became too much for her. She was losing control again. Little by little, the stuff underneath her began to settle down, the metal parts ceasing to shake, no longer bending to her will. Instead, a great energy was building up inside of her, for what purpose, she didn't know. It was possible that it might be gearing up to the point of another massive blast, as it had when they'd been on the mission to rescue Leo. But it also might not. In the past, whenever her powers went on autopilot like this, many times they'd just fizzled out, or affected other, less important objects. There was no guarantee that what was going to happen would happen to her benefit.

She cried out in her head – she couldn't fail here, not now! – but she couldn't stop it. Seizing the opportunity, the Shredder sprang upwards, driving one arm through the small opening in the ceiling. His bladed gauntlet missed her just barely, but his hand grabbed her by the throat. As he squeezed, he pulled her in close to him, looking her in the eye. "I know you," he growled, "I _remember_ you."

The opening wasn't big enough for her body to slip inside, the effect being that the Shredder was hanging there from the edge, a good portion of his weight balanced against where he had a hold of her. The pressure was too much; in seconds he was going to snap her neck.

She couldn't do it, she couldn't fight him. As she choked, unable to breathe under his grasp, unable to escape him thanks to her loss of powers, she started to give up. She begged forgiveness in her head, thinking of her family, her brothers and father, apologizing for her failure. It was then, thinking of them, that she remembered something Michelangelo had said. In that building, when they'd been cornered by the Foot, Leo near death – just as it was now, the unpredictability of her powers threatening to destroy them.

_"Tay, listen to me. Remember your training. Remember Sensei, how he taught you to focus it. We need you right now, sis. You can do this."_

She gagged, her vision blurring.

_"Sensei believed in you, he always knew you would beat this!"_

Mike believed in her, had counted on her. They were counting on her now.

"_It is fear, that drives this,"_ her master had said to her once. _"To conquer this, you must look within. Find a thing stronger than that fear, and you will succeed."_

She understood. Picturing them in her head, she swallowed her fear, her uncertainty; she focused it forward, driving the energy towards the one that had made her family suffer so. His look of murderous satisfaction instantly turned to one of shock. In the second before he was knocked back, his eyes went wide with pain. She felt the bone of his arm ripple, shattering from fingertips on up. He screamed something fierce, as his arm liquefied from the inside.

Once she was free of him, she gasped in air. With a shout, Taylor gave it everything she had. The cabin portion of the aircraft collapsed on itself like it was made of tinfoil, crumpling over everything within. He saw her in that final moment and despite his ruined arm, made one last desperate lunge for her. He didn't make it. She drove the metal down, crushing it, crushing him. He cursed, spitting and howling with rage, futilely attacking the space where she was, but it was too late – his eyes burned into her with pure, hate-filled realization. And then he screamed a final time, and she knew it was done.

The shield wavered and the engines below sputtered and gave out, one by one. Finally, the twisted mess of aircraft tilted to one side and began falling. Taylor held on with everything she had, though it mattered little at this point. She'd never survive a fall from this height. It was okay. She closed her eyes, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks and she thought of them, her family. Now they would finally be free.

In her final moment, Taylor focused her energy, intending to blast the wreckage into the ground in the small hope that the force might propel her and slow her descent. There was little chance that it would work, but it all she had. As her power swelled, she was again gripped by a strange sensation, a force radiating from what was left of the aircraft's shield, the graviton particles picking up speed around her and attaching themselves to the energy she was producing.

Perhaps it was the interference of those particles or simply the effort she'd spent, but she was unable to achieve her goal. Before Taylor met her death in the ruined streets below, she passed out, blissfully oblivious of the end.

.

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	8. Chapter 08

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><p><strong>-chapter 08-<strong>

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><p>.<p>

.**  
><strong>

"Hey!" Mike shouted out the door. "I think she's waking up!"

In they came, one by one. Taylor sat up in the bed in total shock. She just blinked at them, unbelieving. It was them, her brothers – the old versions of them, the ones she remembered from before.

She looked around the room. It was_ her_ room, in the old lair.

"Look, she's up!" Mike said, kneeling by her beside. "How ya doin', sis?"

"_Mikey,"_ she said, amazed. "You're – _you,_ again. And your arm… oh." She put a hand to her head. "I – I don't understand… what – where am I?"

Right away Donatello was there, looking her over and examining her. "You're home now. It's okay," he said. "How do you feel?"

She looked around at them in a daze. "Home? I'm… um, I'm okay I guess. But I – was it a dream?" She rubbed at her head, trying to get her bearings.

"Some confusion is probably normal," Don mumbled, with a slightly worried look towards the others.

Mike was still kneeled, leaning in towards her like she was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "What dream?" he asked her.

She frowned, thinking. "It was the craziest thing," she said, her tone distant. "I dreamed this whole other world – it was the future, I think. And you were there, but – but you were different." She looked up at the others. "And Leo was there, but he was _blind…_ and Donnie was missing -"

"And Raph was the wicked witch," Mike said, flashing a grin at the turtle in red.

Raphael scowled at him. "An' what's that make you Mikey, Scarecrow? If you only had a brain."

Raph and Mike went back and forth a little more, laughing and talking; Donatello continued to poke and prod at her, checking her. She didn't understand this. It couldn't have been a dream, it didn't feel like one at all. She was just there, just fighting the Shredder, falling. She swallowed, trying to shake it off. Her throat felt sore and she rubbed at it absently, not really thinking about it. There had to be some explanation here, she thought. Donatello raised her arm, placing on the wrap for a blood-pressure monitor, and there – she saw something. It was a bruise, a large one on her forearm. A bruise she'd gotten during the fight with the invisible ninjas in the Shredder's throne room. Or maybe she just thought she'd gotten it there. What was this, was her mind playing tricks on her?

Mike's laughter brought her back to reality. "Who's Donnie? Cowardly Lion?" he said to Raphael.

"Excuse me?" Donatello paused his examination, offended.

"Nah, Donnie'd be the Wizard. C'mon."

"Oh yeah, right. How about Leo? Tin man?"

Raph chewed on it a second. "Tin man," he agreed. "Definitely."

"_Will someone tell me what the heck is going on here_!_?" _

Everyone froze, looking at her. "Guys, knock it off," Leo commanded. He'd been studying her throughout this, standing quiet while the others carried on. He took a step closer to her bed, softening his tone. "Taylor? It's okay. Do you remember anything? Anything about Stockgen Labs, or how they kidnapped you?"

She frowned at him. "What? Who kidnapped me – what are you talking about?"

Donatello shared another worried look with their leader, before telling her. "We found you in Stockman's labs. You've been missing for _three months."_

She looked around at them, still not completely getting it. "Three months," she said. "Guess that's better than thirty years..."

They looked at her a little funny but no one questioned her on what that meant. Eventually, the story came out and Taylor was able to put together at least a basic understanding of what had happened. Dinner time and they'd been out of milk, so she'd volunteered to go to the store – those were things that she remembered. She even remembered (though it was murky) how she'd gotten jumped along the way by the Foot. After that, she only knew what she knew of that other place; that dream, or vision, or whatever it had been.

She'd been captured, held at Stockgen Laboratories. Her family hadn't known what happened but they'd had their suspicions. Leo told her of nights spent searching, questioning members of the Foot – even assaults on their warehouses, looking for any sign of her.

"How did you find me, then?" she asked.

"You were mind-blasting us," Mike said, laughing a little. "It was nuts. You kept sending us all this crazy stuff. Must've been some dream you were having."

She shook her head slowly. "You don't know the half of it."

"Well next time dream about something a little nicer, wouldya? I kept getting this tingling in my arm, like it was falling asleep. It was pretty annoying." He narrowed his eyes at her playfully. "I _knew_ that was you. Anyways, the other guys had weird stuff going on too. Donnie kept zoning out, like he couldn't remember stuff – he even forgot his name, can you believe that?" He grinned at their genius.

"I didn't forget." Don shot his little brother an annoyed look. "I just – look, I was distracted."

"Well for some reason, every time someone said 'Leo', Donnie would come running too," Mike said, turning back to his sister. "And speaking of Leo, he said he kept getting these like, blackouts? Where he'd lose his vision for a second or two. Raph too, but only in one eye."

"Eventually I started getting clearer visions," Leo said. "I meditated until I was sure, but I kept seeing Stockgen Labs. Donnie too, for some reason."

Of course Taylor knew why, but she didn't press the issue. Suddenly something hit her. Out of nowhere, she blurted, "Where's Sensei_!_?"

"He should be here soon," Don began, going on to say that their master had decided to make a trip to the farmhouse in the hopes that the more peaceful setting might foster a clearer image of where she might have disappeared to. He'd spent weeks in meditation trying to reach her, Don said – but Taylor didn't hear any of that. He was alive, her father was alive. She wanted to see him, more than anything.

And she did. As they sat and talked with her well into the night, their master returned, having left for home the very minute they'd called. Their reunion was a warm one; father reunited with the daughter he feared lost, daughter embracing the father she'd long since accepted as so.

There were many tears and hugs and laughter all around. Taylor still didn't fully understand what had happened to her, but she knew one thing: somehow, by some miracle, she'd come back home. She reveled in the joy of it, yet it weighed on her. A little over three months. It was the exact amount of time that she'd been there, in that nightmare world. She looked down again at the arm where that bruise persisted (and later, in the mirror at the finger-sized imprints on her throat); these things taunting her almost, forcing her to question the truth.

~.~

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><p>~.~<p>

"Hey."

Leo looked up to see Donatello in the doorway of their dojo. Sheathing his swords, he broke stance and took a few steps in his direction. Right away, Leo could tell Donnie had something big.

"You'd better come take a look at this," Don said.

Leo followed him into the lab, where Don had been reviewing some of the files they'd taken from the Foot's research facility. Don leaned in towards his computer, manipulating the video stream there.

"What you're looking at," he said, moving the mouse, "is a recording of the room we found Taylor in. In the beginning – it's a bit hard to watch – but you can see that that she's unconscious when they bring her in."

As Leo watched, the men on the tape laid their sister down in a strange, cylindrical chamber, a bed with a lid not too unlike a tanning bed, but made of a heavy, thick metal covered with various buttons and digital displays. As they watched, she was locked into restraints and given an injection.

Don could hear his brother's breathing change beside him. "I know," Don said. "Like I said, it's not easy to watch."

"They drugged her?"

"Another sedative, I'm assuming," Don answered. "I checked her over and she seems fine, not under the influence of anything as far as I can tell. But that's not what I brought you in here to see." He leaned over again, skipping ahead on the video. Men came and went out of the room doing various things, attaching electrodes to her, looking at her and talking amongst themselves and so on, until the lid on the chamber was closed.

Don turned to face his brother. "Now this is where the excitement ends for a while. And by a while, I mean _three and a half months."_

"_What_!_?"_ Leo gasped. "She was locked in that thing the entire time?"

Donatello cocked his head. "Well, there's where it gets weird. Okay." He spun his chair back and tapped at the keyboard again. "Look at the dates on these files. The one I showed you is the very first one, on the day Taylor disappeared." He scrolled down. "I've skimmed through every one of these, and there's no change. The lab people come and go, checking on things, but the chamber never opens."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Even if the conviction in Don's voice wasn't enough, the dark circles under his eyes told the real story. Leo knew he'd been holed up in here for days, reviewing the data they'd gotten and Donatello wasn't one to make many mistakes besides. "Now check this out." He opened another file, the last one on the list, and sped the video up to a certain point. "Watch."

After a minute or so, people were seen running into the room and back out again. Smoke came pouring in from one side of the screen. All at once, a green figure appeared, followed by another, and finally two more. It was strange seeing it from this angle, but it was just as Leonardo had remembered, all of them rushing in and finding her sleeping inside that thing, trying to figure out a way to free her. On the tape, he could see Donatello moving to the computers while the rest of them took turns trying to pry the thing open. Suddenly the capsule began to shake on its own and again Leo watched as they backed off, just as he remembered it. The lens on the camera shook as the lid of the chamber blew off with a fantastic force. Inside was their sister, wide-eyed and unaware for a few seconds, until her eyes closed.

Leo watched himself reach down and inspect her, check her pulse and finally as he lifted her up and out of the thing. He could still taste the relief he'd felt, the overwhelming elation at having finally found her after they'd searched for so long.

"She's been telling a pretty colorful tale, since she's been back," Don said.

"She – it was a dream. She was dreaming."

Don leaned over the keyboard once again. "There's one more thing I want you to see."

He pulled up the first video again, still queued at the point where the lab assistants had just finished closing the lid down on her. "Watch this area, right here," Don said, pointing to a small window on the front of the chamber, right where Taylor's face would be. The quality was poor, the window small and at a bad angle, but it was obvious that someone was in there. Don forwarded the video again. "Okay, right here." Suddenly, the form that had been in the window disappeared. "See what I mean?" he asked. After that point in the video, men in lab coats filled the room and centered around the chamber, taking notes and talking to one another.

"Now in _this_ tape," Don said, pulling up the final video again. "See again, how the window looks clear." The explosion happened again and the smoke billowed in again, as it had the first time Leo saw it. "You can't see anything now, but watch." A few seconds passed. "There!" He pointed at the screen. "Just before we came in, there she is again!"

Sure enough, Taylor's figure could be seen in the small window again. Leo shook his head, not able to accept what he was seeing.

Donatello went on. "There's other things too. How do you explain the bruises we found on her? And if she'd been lying down for all these months, then why isn't she showing the signs of that? She should have tissue damage, bedsores – her muscles should've atrophied some. But she's in top shape. And if the chamber was never opened, how did she eat and drink, or go to the bathroom? I've reviewed the beginning of the tape several times, they didn't fit her with a feeding tube or anything like that. She couldn't have survived in there all that time."

Leo shook his head. "You can't be saying what I think you're saying."

"Listen," Don said, putting his hands up in defense. "I'm finding it hard to swallow. I could hit you with a long lecture on current theories regarding the space-time continuum, but after going through their data, there's only explanation here. Basically, they did the impossible – _they sent Taylor forward in time."_

"Impossible," Leo said.

"Not impossible," Don corrected him. _"Improbable._ But I can't deny the facts. Everything's here, they documented everything, and then there's Taylor's story to consider…"

Their leader thought it over for a minute before responding. Finally, he gave in. "I don't know how comfortable I am with the thought that the Foot have the means to travel through space and time."

And Leonardo certainly looked it. Thoughts of taking down the whole operation rattled his brain, as he considered the logistics on how they'd even achieve such a thing. Perhaps they could destroy the labs, or at least the facility where they'd found Taylor. Assuming Stockman's men hadn't already uprooted and set up shop somewhere else.

Don already guessed where Leo's mind was heading. "I know what you're thinking, but going after them won't do much, regardless. I'm sure they have all their data backed up. But I don't think we need to worry about it. I dug pretty deep into their research and I found some interesting things." He leaned back in the computer chair, choosing his next words carefully. "They've been attempting to do this for years, it's all been documented quite well. But every attempt was a failure. Now, their theories are sound, in accordance with what we know of accelerated particles and how they break the time barrier. But there's always been an element missing, something we could never put a finger on." He stopped a moment, thinking it over. "Based on what I've seen so far, the only factor that changed in the equation was the _subject_ they used for testing."

"You mean…"

"Exactly. It isn't Stockman's people that have the secret to time travel – _it's Taylor."_

Leo didn't look entirely convinced. "How?"

"I don't know," Don admitted. "And I don't think it's something she'd be able to do at will. I think the conditions have to be right, as in, she needs to be inside a particle accelerator for it to work. I couldn't tell you why, honestly – I still can't understand how she does half of the things she does anyways."

Leo put a hand to his chin, deep in thought. Maybe he should have been more concerned that his sister could blip in and out and change the events of history at any moment. But all he could think about was what she'd told them. If Don's theory was correct, that meant everything Taylor had said so far was true, in some sense. A vision perhaps, of the future.

"Should we uh… should we tell her?" Don asked.

Leo didn't answer right away. Then, he said, "Yes. Yes, we will. But not today. She's been through enough, let's give it time."

Time. Leo thanked his brother for the report and walked out, thinking of time, of Taylor and of future events. He knew one thing. If what Taylor had seen was indeed a possible future, then he would do everything in his power to prevent it. And the first step would be listening to her story, every bit of it from beginning to end, in the hopes that he might understand just how to avoid the nightmare she'd already described.

~.~

* * *

><p>~.~<p>

"Listen, I need to talk to you guys. I want you to promise me something."

Her brothers looked at her, curious, save for one. Michelangelo groaned. "Aww… c'mon Tay. This sounds like some lame, girly thing. You're gonna start talking about your _feelings_ here, aren't you?"

"Mike," Leo warned.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "But hear me out anyways, okay? Oh, and this might take a while, so get comfy."

Mike groaned again, but he sat down regardless. High above the city, as they prepped for a night of patrol, she honored Leo's request that she begin the evening with her story. He'd thought it important that they all hear what she had to say and though she was a little nervous at reliving the experience, she agreed with him.

As they all settled down under the moonlight, Taylor began. She told them everything, from waking up in that hellish future and how confused she was, to meeting Mike and finding out the truth; the base, April – finding Raphael, rescuing Leo and the mission to retrieve Don. She told them of the horrifying state the city was in, the constant sounds of war and the fear they felt every moment above ground.

She spoke in length about the four of them, how things changed between them, and how they'd come together to fight the Shredder one last time.

When she was done, none of them spoke; not even Mike, who, in a rare moment, found himself speechless.

"I know it sounds crazy," she said. "And I know you think it was just a dream, or a side-effect of whatever they did to me… but I don't know. It was very real when I was there. It still feels real when I think of it, not like a dream at all."

At that, Leo and Don shared an uncomfortable look, but Taylor didn't seem to notice. "Anyways, I just want you to promise me. Promise, that if anything ever happens to me, you guys will – you'll stick together," she said, repeating the sentiment she'd given them before, in that future setting. Déjà vu hit her hard and she pictured them, those others, the ones she'd accepted as her family, until now. "Promise you'll keep together as a clan. As brothers."

She kept her eyes planted at the ground, unable to look at them. She suddenly felt embarrassed, sure she was in for a load of ridicule. She was counting the seconds before someone, probably Mikey, dropped a crude remark or began teasing her for getting _emotional._

Mikey was the first to speak, but it wasn't to tease her. "I promise," he said.

"I promise too," Donatello said next.

Raph and Leo looked at each other. Their sister had had quite a lot to say about the two of them. As uncomfortable as hearing it made the both of them feel, each knew just how true her words rang. And each felt the guilt of knowing that even if such a thing never came to pass, it was enough to believe that it could.

Finally, Leo turned to his sister. If Don was right, then this could be their future. Maybe not every aspect would be the same, but some things could come to pass. The Foot may or may not rise to power. Their friends and family may or may not be lost to them. And what would it take, to divide them, to break their brotherhood?

He swore to her, but he swore to himself. "You have my word," he told her. "I won't let anything come between us."

At that, he and Raph shared another knowing look. "Alright," Raph gave in. "Same for me."

Taylor grinned from ear to ear. Whatever happened, she believed them. Maybe this would be enough, maybe her coming back here and warning them would help. She wasn't sure if what she'd experienced was a vision or another dimension, or what – but it was huge relief thinking that they'd maybe avoided the same thing happening here. "Thanks you guys," she said.

Her sudden change in disposition was contagious. It was hard not feed off some of her joy, after all, they were just happy to have her home. Over three months they'd spent searching for her, wondering, running themselves into the ground looking for any sign of her. And now here she was, just as she had been, back with her brothers and ready to fight by their side.

"_Now_ can we go bust up some Foot ninja skulls?" Mike said.

"Yes!" She laughed. Cracking her knuckles, she added, "As a matter of fact, I'm itching to give them some payback. You guys feel like stopping by Stockgen Laboratories sometime tonight?"

"Stockman ain't gonna be outta traction yet," Raph said. That answered one of her questions about what they'd done when they'd found her.

"We could go rough up some of his lab guys," Mike offered. A loud throat-clearing sounded from their leader. "I mean – we could go beat up the Foot ninjas guarding the place."

"Sounds good to me," Don said, looking over at their leader.

Leo thought a moment. He said, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to send them a message. Let's go teach them what it means to mess with one of ours."

Raphael laughed. "Now there's one order," he said, twirling a sai, "I'm happy to follow."

As they raced along the rooftops, Taylor reveled in the thrill of being alongside her brothers once again, readying for what was ahead. This was her family, her clan. And yet, so had the others been, the older versions that she'd experienced so much with. And though Taylor didn't know how she'd come to be with them, or why, she hoped, wherever those other versions of her brothers were, that they'd kept their promise to her as well. After all they'd been through, she was pretty sure that they would.

She fell back a step, watching them. Paused at the ledge of the rooftop, they circled around to plan out their mode of attack. As Leo began addressing them, Mike reached around slowly and smacked the side of Raphael's head, opposite where Mike was standing. Raph turned and slugged an unsuspecting Donatello for the crime. Raphael was the next to go down, his legs neatly swept out from under him by a bo staff.

Raphael and Donatello scrapping, Mike laughing like a madman. Leo unable to do anything but look on, exasperated. As Taylor joined them, she couldn't wipe the grin off of her face. As much as she'd cared for their other selves, as much as she hoped that they would carry on, there was no denying the joy she felt at being back. It was good to be here, where she belonged. It was good to be home.

.

.

-END-

.

.

_Like when autumn leaves_

_Fall_

_down from the trees_

_There goes_

_my honey bee_

_I've lost a lot of sleep to dreams_

_And I do not miss them yet_

_I wouldn't wish them on the worst of enemies_

_Let them burn_

_go from here_

_Like when autumn leaves_

_ - The Roots, Sleep_

_._

_._

_.  
><em>


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